Sister Swan
by Kitatai
Summary: Jacob/OC fic. Heartbroken after Renée left him with Bella, Charlie had a relationship with a woman from the reservation. She ended up leaving and giving birth to a daughter, Catarina, that she never told Charlie about. After Cat's mother dies, she is sent to live in Forks. What will happen when she meets Jacob? Set after the end of New Moon when Edward returns to Forks.
1. Chapter 1: New Home

_**Chapter 1: New Home**_

 **Catarina's POV  
**

The car pulled to a stop in front of a small house in the rainy, dreary town of Forks, Washington. A sense of dread filled me as I looked at the house. Since my mother died, this is where I was supposed to live… With a father and a sister that I had never met… I looked over at the social worker as she prepared to get out. We hadn't spoken much at all on the flight from Tennessee. She seemed unsure of what to say to me. I guess I couldn't blame her.

"Could you do me a favor?" I asked and she paused before she opened her door.

"What would that be?" She asked.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't tell them about what happened to my mom and about me running away and all that. I don't want to start my life here with everyone giving me pity. I have to live here now and I would like a clean start." I rushed out.

She gave me a calculating glance. "I would normally say that it is protocol to tell your guardian at least… but I guess you've been through enough… I won't say anything. I will tell him that you will tell him when you are ready. From there it will be your decision what to tell them. I would suggest that you tell the truth, though. You are going to need support from your family to get through this."

"They aren't my family. I've never even met them, and I can handle myself. I'm fine," I ground out. "But thank you; it will make it easier for me here." ' _Anything to make all this a little less miserable. I didn't need anyone looking down at me with pity.'_ I got out and started to get my bags out of the trunk. The front porch light came on and the door opened. My heart sped up and I braced myself. ' _Come on, you can do this.'_ I walked up to the porch and an older man walked out; my father, I presumed.

"Catarina…" he said awkwardly. "Hey… Can I help you get your bags?"

"Uh… sure…" I handed him some of my bags and the social worker came up behind me with the rest. There wasn't much.

"Chief Swan, I take it?" The social worker extended her hand to my father. ' _Oh, yeah, he's a cop. Great…'_

"Uh… yes… please, both of you come in." He held the door open and we entered the house. It was small but cozy. It looked kind of like a bachelor pad, but that was okay with me.

"Come on upstairs; I cleared out the office for your room." Charlie led us up the stairs to a simple room that looked freshly painted with a queen-sized bed, dresser and desk. "It's not much but we can go shopping for some stuff to decorate and such."

"No, it's great, thanks." I put my bags down and looked around.

"Catarina, why don't you get settled in and freshen up. Chief Swan, if you would come downstairs, I have some forms I need you to sign." The social worker led him downstairs and I was alone in my new room.

I took my long, red hair out of my bun and took my sweatshirt off and threw it on the bed. I took a few minutes to put my stuff away. It didn't take very long. By the time I was putting the finishing touches on my room, Charlie came back upstairs. He sat on my bed next to me. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it.

"I… I don't know how to say this, but… I wish that I had known about you before. I feel like I've missed so much. Had I known, I would have been a part of your life before now…" He stuttered out while putting his arm around me.

"Dad…" _'God it felt weird to say that…'_ "It's okay, really. I know mom didn't tell you about me."

"I'm so sorry about your mom. Maybe we could find something to go do together, spend some time getting to know each other. Bella is excited to meet you. She's out with her boyfriend right now. I thought maybe you would like the chance to get settled in. We didn't want to ambush you." I could tell he was a man of few words and talking this much was probably not the norm. I wondered what my sister was like. "She should be back soon; her curfew is coming up. She normally cooks, since I don't cook well, and since she wasn't here I thought we could order some pizza. What kind would you like?"

"Pepperoni is fine. Which bathroom do I use?" All I had left to unpack was my toiletries.

"Okay, and your bathroom is right through here." He led me to one of the two closed doors in my room. It opened into my own private bathroom. Well at least I wouldn't have to share. "I'll let you get cleaned up and I'll go order dinner." He went back downstairs.

"Thanks." I put the rest of my things away and heard more voices downstairs talking to my dad.

"Is she here yet?" a girl's voice asked. ' _Must be Bella.'_

"Yes, she's upstairs getting cleaned up. I went ahead and ordered some pizza for us." He replied.

"I'll see you later, Bella," a guy said. ' _And that must be the boyfriend.'_

"Bye, Edward." I heard the front door open and shut again. A few seconds later there was a knock on my door.

"Come in." A girl a little older than me came in. Right away I could see we looked similar. We both had long, wavy hair, a thin build and similar facial features. Our biggest differences were that I had had red hair while hers was brown, my eyes were green to her brown, I was tan and she was pale as a ghost, and my boobs were bigger.

She gave a small smile and stuck her hand out. "I'm Bella. It's nice to meet you."

I took her hand and said, "I'm Cat, nice to meet you, too."

Her expression softened a little. "I'm sorry about your mom."

"Thanks." She was almost as awkward as dad.

"I know all this must be overwhelming for you right now so if you need anything just let me know. I'll show you around town so you can get a feel for everything. School is going to start in about a month and I'll introduce you to everyone there and later you can meet Edward, my boyfriend. Dad told me your mom was Quileute, so I thought maybe tomorrow while I'm showing you around we could visit the reservation. They are having a bonfire tomorrow night and you could meet everyone there."

"Sounds great." We both headed downstairs to eat. It was weird to be sitting at the table with a family. After I was finished eating I yawned. It was after midnight central time even though it was only ten here. Add to that traveling all day and the emotional stress, to say I was exhausted was an understatement.

"Cat, why don't you go get some rest. You must be tired after the flight and the time difference." Dad looked at me with concern.

"Okay. I guess I'll see you guys in the morning." I headed upstairs and got a shower and laid down. Between the noises of rain and my racing thoughts, it was hard to get to sleep. After what felt like hours, I finally passed out.

 _ **AN: Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think! I do not own Twilight or any of its characters, sadly…**_


	2. Chapter 2: Forks

_**Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate your feedback. Also, thanks to all those who followed and favorited this story; I will try to update regularly.**_

 _ **Chapter 2: Forks**_

 **Catarina's POV  
**

When I woke the next morning, I had that moment of disorientation where I wondered where I was, then it all came crashing back to me. _'I'm in Forks now…'_ Smelling eggs and bacon, I assumed that Bella was awake and making breakfast. Laying there for a few minutes with my arm over my eyes, I tried to get up the motivation to get dressed and face the day. _'I guess no time like the present.'_

With a sigh, I got up and picked out an outfit, keeping the rain in mind: a nice pair of jeans, cute shirt and my form fitting sweatshirt. I went to my bathroom and put on a little makeup to accentuate my green eyes. After pulling my hair up in a high ponytail and doing my bangs, I headed downstairs to eat breakfast.

Walking into the kitchen, I saw that Bella was eating at the table with a boy around our age. He was freaking pale with piercing, yellow eyes. I guess some would call him hot, but he wasn't my cup of tea, so to speak. _'This must be Edward…'_ He gave me an appraising look and then his face turned to frustration.

Trying to break the awkward silence, I introduced myself. "Um, good morning, you must be Edward. I'm Cat. Nice to meet you." I extended my hand and he took it in a light handshake. He skin was so cold. He must have just come in from outside.

"Pleasure to meet you, Cat. Everyone has been looking forward to meeting you." He said with a small half smile. He spoke a little too formally for the average high school guy.

"Breakfast is all made, help yourself. I'll get the dishes later." Bella offered as she took another bite.

"Thanks, and you cooked, the least I can do is clean up." I made my way over to the counter and made a small plate and sat across from them at the table.

"So I thought maybe after breakfast I could show you around. Dad's at work already, but Edwards parents and siblings wanted to welcome you to Forks and to meet you, so I was thinking we could go over and visit for lunch. The bonfire starts at eight tonight and we will eat dinner ther…" Bella was interrupted by a tinkly voice coming from behind me.

"Well before you go tonight, we are definitely going to have to go shopping. Catarina probably needs some new clothes and some things for her room." I whipped my head around and nearly choked on the food that I was attempting to swallow. _'Shit, where did she come from?'_

"Alice, maybe you should let her get her breakfast down and introduce yourself before you take her on a whirlwind shopping spree…" Edward chuckled behind his hand. "I'm sorry, Cat, this is my sister, Alice. She can be a bit pushy and irritating." She had the same pale skin tone as Edward and oddly enough, the same exact eyes. Other than that, they looked absolutely nothing alike.

"Nonsense." Alice waved the thought away. "She just moved here and I'm sure she need things for her room and some clothes that are more suited to the weather here. It's much colder here than in Tennessee and she needs rain-wear. It's only practical; and don't worry, it's my treat." She was grinning from ear to ear. "Bella needs some things, also, so it will be killing two birds with one stone."

"Alice, I don't need anything…" Bella started only to be cut off again.

"Seriously Bella, when was the last time you got new clothes? I think it's overdue." Alice chided.

"The last time I got new clothes was just last week when you dragged me out shopping with you…" Obviously, Bella wasn't into shopping like most girls.

"Alice, really, you don't have to do that…" I tried to reason with her. I didn't have much money but she didn't need to pay for anything.

"Oh, yes I do, and arguing with me is useless. Ask Edward and Bella." Alice left no room for debate. A little pushy Edward had said. I think that was an understatement. I looked over at the couple and they were just nodding.

Edward chuckled again. "You should just give in; it's easier, believe me. Arguing with her really is useless."

Alice practically beamed with joy. "Good! It's settled then. We will leave after lunch at the house. I'll see you then. It was so nice to meet you, Cat." I did a slow blink and she was just gone, just as fast as she had come. I continued to blink at where she was standing just a moment before. _'I think I'm losing time…'_

"Don't worry. She is always like this. Let her take you shopping; it makes her happy." He said pulling me out of my astonishment.

"O…kay…" Edward then excused himself saying that his mother requested him home to help prepare for lunch. It sounded like a lame excuse to give Bella and I some time alone together.

"Well, they seem really nice. Alice really doesn't have to do all that…" I felt a bit overwhelmed by the little pixie.

"Cat, it's okay, this is just what she does. Any excuse she can use to go shopping, decorate, or throw a party, she'll use it. Today, she gets to do all three, so she's super excited. She has plenty of money, too, so don't worry about that." Bella started clearing the dishes. I got up and helped her clean the kitchen.

Putting our shoes on and grabbing our purses, we walked out to get in her truck. "Whose truck is that?" Sitting right beside Bella's red pickup was a black one that was probably 20 years newer than Bella's.

"That is dad's welcome present for you. He gave me mine the day I moved in. He thought you'd like to have a little freedom. Jacob dropped it off this morning; he's my friend down at the reservation. He rebuilds them. He did mine too. You will be able to meet him tonight. Do you want to drive today? It will help you remember where everything is." She handed me the keys and a cell phone. "Dad wanted you to have that too, just in case. Our numbers are already programed into it."

"Wow, um, yeah, thanks." Getting into my new truck, I realized I loved it. It was so me. This was really thoughtful of him. It would definitely make adjusting to living here easier. Putting it into gear, Bella directed me around town, showing me where the grocery store, school, gas station, the diner and such were. She was right. If I hadn't driven, I probably wouldn't remember how to get around. After a few hours and a pit stop at the Police Station to say hi to dad and thank him for my gifts, we decided to go ahead and head to the Cullens' house.

We had just made it onto the almost completely hidden driveway. "Just so you know, Carlisle and Esme, Edward's parents, they adopted him, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. That's why Carlisle and Esme look so young. He's a doctor up at the hospital and she couldn't have children so she decided to adopt. Also, Alice and Jasper are together; Rosalie and Emmett are too."

"Oh, wow, well that was really nice of them to adopt so many kids. That must be strange that they live with their boyfriends and girlfriends, but they aren't actually related so I guess it's not too weird." Finally, the house came into sight.

* * *

 **Inside the house…**

Rosalie had a grim expression on her face and she tossed the salad. "Why do we have to do this again?"

"Rose, we are just going to welcome Catarina. She's Bella's sister after all; that makes her family. Don't be so upset, please. We need to make her feel welcome." Esme chided. Emmett came up behind Rose, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck.

"I know you don't like playing human, Rose, but we must in front of her. She knows nothing of vampires, and Esme is right. Bella is family, her family is our family now, too." Carlisle added. Turning to Edward with an inquisitive look he asked, "So Edward, you couldn't read any of her thoughts?"

"No, it would seem that her mind is similar to Bella's. I heard nothing from her. Perhaps it has something to do with them being sisters? They are the only two minds that I have not been able to hear." Edward was more than mildly frustrated that there was yet another person whose mind was closed off to him. The silence from Bella's mind just about drove him mad. Looking over at Alice he asked, "Can you see her future like you can with Bella?"

"I can, though tonight is blank because they are both going down to the reservation. It is so irritating not being able to see around those mutts!" She threw her arms up in frustration. Jasper ran his hands up and down her arms trying to soothe her. They then heard Cat's truck pulling up.

* * *

 **Catarina's POV**

The house was absolutely huge. It was so beautiful and the scenery around the house was so picturesque, even with the rain. For some reason, I was actually feeling nervous.

Bella led me up to the front door and a very handsome man with blonde hair opened the door. He had a calming, sincere face. Smiling at us, he motioned for us to come in. "Cat, it's so nice to meet you. I'm Carlisle. Please, both of you come on in. Esme and Rose almost have lunch ready." He had a soft, soothing voice.

He had the same eyes as Edward and Alice. _'I thought Bella said that none of them were actually related? Why do they all have the same colored eyes? Come to think of it, he is pale like they are too… and he looks way too young to be a doctor.'_

Getting a look at the interior of the house I realized why Bella said not to worry about Alice spending money. They apparently had a lot of it. The house was tastefully and richly decorated to be warm and inviting. The whole back of the house looked like one big window looking out into the forest. It was stunning. There was a grand piano on a raised section of floor towards the back wall of windows on the back side of the house.

We followed Carlisle up the stairs to the dining room. Once we walked in, I recognized Alice, who was standing next to a boy with curly hair. That must be Jasper. I felt a wave of calm rush over me that somehow seemed out of place considering how I felt when I came in.

Looking further into the room, I noticed a tall, beautiful blonde standing next to a dark-haired guy that looked kind of like a body builder. That must be Rosalie and Emmett. Then I saw who must have been Esme, as she was a little older. They ALL had incredibly pale skin, were incredibly attractive, and they ALL had the same bright yellow eyes.

Edward came forward and put his arm around Bella and made the introductions. Esme came forward with a smile to stand next to Carlisle. "It's lovely to meet you, Cat. Please sit, lunch is ready."

"Thank you." We all sat down to eat. I complimented Esme on her cooking but noticed that all the Cullens just picked at the food. They were all very pleasant, except Rosalie. Emmett was actually hilarious. He seemed so different from Rosalie. It made me wonder how they came to be a couple.

Carlisle and Esme were the gracious hosts and asked me about Tennessee but, gratefully, stayed away from the topic of my mother. Alice told me about all the stores we were apparently going to today.

After we finished eating, we moved into the living area downstairs where the piano was. "Which one of you plays the piano?" I asked curiously. Music was a passion of mine.

"Edward plays more than anyone else. Won't you play something for us, Edward?" Esme was ever the proud parent.

"Alright, just one." He just couldn't say no to Esme. Edward pulled Bella with him to sit on the bench as he began to play a beautiful piece that I did not recognize.

As he ended the song, I told him, "That was beautiful, did you write that yourself?"

"Yes, it was the song I wrote for Bella when we first started dating. Do you play?" He and Bella walked back over to the couch.

"A little. I've mostly practiced with the violin and guitar though." It was one of the things that I did to get away. It helped me to relax.

"Why don't you play something?" Edward looked at me expectantly but a looked passed on Bella's face that I couldn't quite interpret. I haven't known her long enough to decipher her facial expressions.

"Uh, I kind of get stage fright… I hardly have ever played in front of anyone." The last thing I wanted was to embarrass myself on my first day here.

"Come on, I bet you're great." Alice grabbed my arm and pushed me over to the piano. Yeah, I could see the irritating part now.

Tentatively, I sat down and thought about which piece I wanted to play. Putting my hands on the keys I closed my eyes and played a piece I had written when I was younger. Before I realized it, I was finished and when I opened my eyes they all applauded.

"You play very well, Cat. You wrote that piece yourself?" Edward asked. I nodded. The look on Bella's face had gotten more severe while I was playing. It kind of looked like she was pissed off, though I had no clue what could have changed her mood so suddenly. Edward kissed the side of her head and her face smoothed out.

"Okay! If we are going to get to all the stores today, we are going to have to leave now. Rose, are you coming? We are taking my car." Alice wasn't able to hold herself off any longer, apparently.

Rose seemed to think about it for a minute before declining, saying that she had something to do.

"Alright, fine. Bella, Cat, come on!" She grabbed both our hands and started to pull us to what I assumed was the garage.

"Um… It was nice meeting you all. Thank you so much for lunch." I managed to get out over my shoulder before I lost sight of them.

Getting into Alice's spiffy sports car, we went in more stores than I've probably been to in my whole life. She bought me new bedding, wall decorations, clothes, clothes, and more clothes, even a new computer.

She was unstoppable. If I so much as looked at something for more than a couple seconds, she would zoom behind me and buy it before I could say anything. Somehow between all that, she still managed to pick out an obscene amount of clothes for Bella.

It was incredibly fun, even with Bella being in a mood. She must really not like shopping. Finally, we had to head back to the house so we could drive home and get ready for the bonfire. After getting back home, I put all my purchases away and put all my new decorations up.

Since the rain was supposed to let up this evening, I decided to change into one of the new outfits that Alice had gotten me. It was a long, flowy, black and white striped skirt, cute flip flops, and a black lower cut top that accentuated my ample chest. Bella said there would be a lot of good-looking, single guys there tonight. Might as well look good. I touched up my makeup and let my hair down and I was ready as I was going to be.

Bella stayed in her jeans and t-shirt. She seemed to be in a little better mood than earlier. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me grab my purse." I turned my light out and followed her downstairs. Dad was just walking in from work.

"Bells, Cat, where are you off to?" He took off his jacket and gun belt and hung everything up.

"I was just going to take Cat down the reservation to meet everyone. They're having a bonfire tonight." Bella slipped her shoes on.

"Oh, okay, be safe. I know it summertime, but don't stay out too late. Midnight at the latest." That's the most dad thing I've heard him say so far.

"Dad…" Bella moaned. "It's going to go later than that, plus Billy and Sue are going to be there. It's not like it's unsupervised."

He seemed to contemplate it for a minute. "Okay, one a.m., no later. Got me, girls?"

We both nodded and ran out to my truck. She gave me directions and we pulled up to First Beach about fifteen minutes later.


	3. Chapter 3: La Push

_**I apologize for taking so long to post this chapter. I have had some personal problems this week and I had rewrite it. I didn't care for how it turned out the first time I wrote it. To make up for the delay, I made it a little longer than I had originally intended. I also made some grammar, punctuation, and some other minor changes in the previous chapters. Nothing drastic, just touching them up. Thank you to all those who had read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! Reviews are very much appreciated. I enjoy hearing feedback, questions and suggestions.**_

 _ **Chapter 3: La Push**_

 **Catarina's POV  
**

Just as the sun was setting, Bella and I pulled up to First Beach. The clouds had cleared enough for the dying rays of the sun to shine through. Getting out, she led me towards a large group of people that were gathered around a fire pit that was dug into the sand.

As we got closer, I saw a few people sitting on driftwood logs that were placed around the fire. There was an older man with long, black hair in a wheelchair at what seemed to be the "head" of the circle. Sitting next to him was a woman of about the same age. A younger man stood near a grill next to a woman with deep scars on her face. She was placing food on plates and passing them around.

There were a few girls around my age and several very shirtless, very hot guys. Even though it was summer here, the temperatures were still cooler. However, most of the guys were walking around in nothing but shorts. As we approached the circle, everyone stopped to look at us.

A younger boy smiled and hopped up to greet us. "Hey, Bella! You made it, and this must be your sister!" Turning to me, he said, "We've been looking forward to meeting you all day! I'm Seth." He stuck his hand out.

He was so cute and his smile was infectious. Smiling I took his hand. "Nice to meet you, Seth. I'm Cat… Aren't you guys cold out here without shirts on?"

He laughed. "Nah, we all run pretty hot here." He winked at me and laughed harder at my blushed expression. The others all started laughing with him.

"Seth!" The older woman sitting next to the man in the wheelchair chided in a way only a mother could.

Still giggling, Seth turned to look at her. "Sorry, mom." Looking back at us, he said, "Here, you guys can sit with me." He sat on one of the logs and patted the space next to him. We sat with me in the middle.

Everyone else was still looking at us. Not everyone look thrilled to see Bella. Some of them were giving her dirty looks. I wondered what that was about. They just looked at me curiously.

Seth began to introduce me to everyone. "The guy over by the grill is Sam, and that's Emily, his fiancé. That's Billy, Jacob's dad, and my mom, Sue." They all smiled warmly and waved at me in greeting. "Then there's Quil, Embry, Paul…" They each raised their hand a little when Seth said their names. He then pointed to a guy sitting with his arm across a shy-looking girl's shoulders. "That's Jared and his girlfriend, Kim…" They gave a little wave, "…and the grumpy-looking one over there is my sister, Leah." The aforementioned girl just glared at Seth.

I noticed there was one name left out. Bella apparently noticed that, too, because she asked Seth, "Where's Jacob?"

"He'll be back in a few minutes. Emily sent him to get more hotdogs because _someone_ ate them all…" He rolled his eyes and looked over at the boys that he had pointed out as Embry and Quil. They both looked over with their mouths comically stuffed. "You know you guys could save some for everyone else…" We all laughed.

Quil swallowed his food. "We're having a contest. Embry bet me I couldn't eat more hotdogs than him."

I thought it was going to be awkward meeting the people from the reservation. I mean, my mom was from here, but they had never met me. Had they known her? Or was the tribe big enough that they wouldn't know everyone by name? Thankfully, they had yet to ask about her.

Despite all my wondering, they had somehow made me feel like I belonged here within minutes. Being here was so natural, like breathing.

Billy looked over the fire at me. "So, Cat, how are you liking Washington? It must be a big change from Tennessee."

"Actually, I love it." He had an air about him that was commanding, firm, and wise while still being gentle and understanding. When I looked in his eyes, I could see the weight of his knowledge and wisdom. Some would have called them ageless. "It's so beautiful here." Honestly, that was the furthest thing from what I had thought when I had landed the day before. I had thought it was ugly and dreary; but now, I did see it was beautiful. The beach, mountains, cliffs, and forests, and even the rain was growing on me.

"When Charlie told us you were coming, I thought you would like to meet everyone. We typically hold these gatherings for the elders to tell the legends of the tribe for the new generations to hear and learn from. Have you heard any of them before?" Billy asked while tactfully not bringing my mother up. Dad or Bella must have told them that she died and that I probably wouldn't want to talk about it.

"No, I didn't even know what tribe I was from until yesterday. All I knew was that I was half Native American." The part left hanging in the air was that my mom obviously hadn't told me anything about my past. I saw the brief looks of pity on everyone's faces. It was obvious to them, too. Trying to lighten the mood back up, I asked Billy, "What are the legends about?"

The look on Billy's face wasn't pity, though it wasn't a happy look. If I had to put a name to it, I think it was a mix of being shocked and angry at my mother for not telling me anything about our tribe's history, my history. His expression softened to sadness and understanding about what that meant for me. He looked at me for a minute longer. It was like he was looking through me to see the pain and hurt I had been through with her. It dawned on me then that he had known her. There was no other explanation for why he would be so shocked.

He blinked and he face lightened up as he answered my question. "They tell us about the cold ones and the protectors of our tribe, the spirit warriors, and how we are descended from wolves. Would you like to hear them?" He looked at me expectantly, almost like the question was a test.

"I'd love to." He gave me an approving look. I turned to look at Bella. She'd been quiet up until now. "Have you heard them, too?"

"Yeah, I heard them for the first time a few months ago." Bella looked at something behind me. Turning around, I saw a tan guy with short black hair walking over towards us. Since he was carrying a grocery bag, I assumed this was Jacob returning with the hotdogs. As he got closer, I noticed that he was, without a doubt, the hottest out of all the guys here. He was wearing shorts, flip flops, and a tight black t-shirt that showed how muscular he was.

He walked over to Sam and gave him the food. Bella got up with a, "I'll be right back." She headed over to Jacob and pulled him off to the side. I could tell they were having a serious conversation, but they were far enough away that I couldn't hear what they were saying. Looking back at everyone else, most of them were rolling their eyes with irritated looks.

Turning to look at Seth, I asked, "So what's going on with that?" I nodded in the direction that Bella and Jacob had gone.

Seth sighed. "Well… It's complicated. When Bella moved back here, she started dating Edward. Later, Edward and the rest of the Cullens moved away suddenly. Apparently, Edward had broken up with her and they left immediately after that. Bella went into a deep depression. She started hanging out with Jake and she got a little better. They got to be close friends. Then, out of the blue, six months after they left, the Cullens moved back. Bella and Edward got back together and it was like he had never even left. That meant that Bella and Jacob weren't hanging out much anymore. It doesn't help that Edward and Jacob hate each other. Edward thinks Jake's a… bad influence on Bella and Jake thinks that Edward does nothing but hurt Bella, that he's no good for her."

"Well, Edward shouldn't tell her who she can and can't hang out with. Is he that controlling?" He had seemed so polite and so in love with Bella. Could I have missed something about him?

Seth made a non-committal sound. "It's more like he's so in love with her that he literally tries to protect her from everything that could possible hurt her physically _and_ emotionally."

"Well, that's stupid. He can't protect her from everything… and if he's so in love with her and doesn't want her hurt, why did he break up with her and leave her in a deep depression?" I tried my best to wrap my head around this new information, but something wasn't adding up. It was like there was a piece of the puzzle I wasn't seeing.

"I guess he thought he was protecting her by leaving. Long story short, Bella has been trying to date Edward and stay friends with Jake even though Jake and Edward hate each other." I could tell Seth was trying to get off the subject but I didn't know why. Maybe he thought Bella would tell me if she wanted me to know. He looked over at Sam who was still cooking at the grill. "Hey, are those hotdogs ready yet? I'm starving and the girls haven't eaten yet."

"Yes, come on and make a plate." Sam's voice was deeper than I thought it would be. It wasn't frightening, more like strong and protective, like a leader or an older brother.

Quil and Embry started to get up when Emily shoved them both back down. "Oh no, you two can wait until everyone else has some. Bella and Cat haven't even eaten yet. If there's any left after that, you can get more." They had the grace to look embarrassed. Emily seemed to be the mother-figure of the group.

I made a plate and snuck a look back at where Bella and Jacob were talking. It was getting dark so it was hard to see, but it looked like they were having a disagreement. As I finished my food, they started heading back toward us. They were holding hands.

They were almost back to us when Jacob looked at me. Seeing his face full-on for the first time, I realized he was even more attractive than I previously thought. He stopped walking and his eyes went wide. Bella still had his hand in hers and when he stopped, she looked back at him. "Oh, Jake, this is my sister, Catarina."

He just stood there staring at me. I had never understood it when people would say the rest of the world faded away, until now. The world came crashing back around me when all the guys busted out laughing. I blinked and looked around. I felt like I missed something. Even Jacob's dad was grinning from ear to ear.

Looking back up at Jacob, I tried to make things less awkward by extending my hand to him. "Jacob, I'm Cat. Nice to meet you." I tried my hardest not to blush but the guys were now making over-exaggerated kiss noises. I was sure my face was as red as a tomato. Hopefully it wasn't too noticeable in the dark.

He let go of Bella's hand and took mine with a smile. It seemed impossible, but he was even hotter when he smiled. "Nice to meet you, too; I'm Jacob."

He sat next to me and I looked up at Bella. She looked confused and upset. I wondered if she was still upset about what she and Jacob talked about. She took a seat on the other side of Jacob.

"So, how long have you been in Forks?" Having him so close to me, I felt hot and flushed. Was I this easy to fluster?

"She flew in last night; I've been showing her around today." Bella chimed in.

"It's been great. She showed me around town and we had lunch with the Cullens and then we went shopping with Alice. It was so much fun." He got a strange look on his face when I said that last part.

"You had lunch... with the Cullens?" He looked like he had swallowed something sour.

"Yeah, we went over to their house and Esme made lunch for everyone. They were really nice. By the way, I love my truck. Thank you for all the work you did on it." I thanked him with a shy smile.

His face evened out and he smiled again. "No problem. I love working on cars. I'm glad you like it."

He was still looking at me when Billy cleared his throat and began to tell the legends of our tribe. His voice commanded everyone's undivided attention. Listening to the way he told them was incredible. It was almost like you could believe that it was all possible.

Every so often, I would catch Jake looking at me from the corner of my eye. It made me blush every time I caught him; he would smirk but never looked away. The way he looked at me was so intense, not creepy, but filled with strong emotion.

When Billy finished telling the legends, he and Sue excused themselves. As Billy passed me to leave, he said with a smile, "Cat, it was really nice to meet you. Come visit any time."

"Thanks; it was nice to meet you all, too. I had a great time tonight." He seemed to really like me.

Glancing at my phone, I saw that it was after midnight. Jared and Kim left too. He had to drive her home before her curfew at 12:30. Emily started cleaning up and Sam loaded the grill and table into the back of his truck.

Bella suddenly stood up. "Come on, Cat. We need to get home. I'll see you later, Jake."

"Um… okay." I stood up and dug my keys out of my purse.

"You guys are leaving already?" Jake looked so disappointed.

"Sorry, Jake. Dad said we had to be back by one." I really didn't want to leave. I had a great time tonight and I wanted to spend more time getting to know everyone, especially Jake. "Maybe we could all hang out again soon. I had a lot of fun tonight."

His face lifted as he smiled again. "Sure, sure." He pulled out a napkin and wrote something on it. "Here's my number. Call any time. If you want to come back tomorrow, it's supposed to be warm enough to swim."

I couldn't help smiling back at him. "Sounds great." I looked around at everyone else. "It was really nice meeting you all." They all said the same.

Bella and I walked back to my truck and headed home. "Thanks for showing me around today. I had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, no problem…" She sounded kind of distant, like she was thinking about something else.

"Hey, are you okay?" I glanced away from the road for a second to look at her.

She didn't say anything for a minute. "Yeah, just thinking too hard."

We pulled up around 12:50. Walking inside, I realized Charlie had waited up for us. He was sitting in his recliner with a beer watching a replay of some ball game. "Hey girls, did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, it was great! Everyone was so nice. It was cool to see the reservation and meet everyone." I realized I was smiling again. Who would have thought that just yesterday I was depressed about coming here? Forks had already started to feel like home to me.

Bella said goodnight and rushed upstairs.

"Night, dad. I'm going to go to bed."

"Good night, honey." He leaned back in his chair.

I made my way to my room and closed the door behind me. As I changed into my pajamas, I reflected on my first day here. It was certainly not what I had expected. I never thought that I would actually come to like being here, but after just one day, I had a father, a sister, and a lot of people I think I could call friends. Those were all things I'd never had before.

I walked over to my window and heard a wolf howl. It was such a beautiful sound. For some reason, it made me feel safe. I smiled and after looking out the window for a few more minutes, I headed over to my bed and flopped on my back.

My mind flashed back to Jake. He was so sweet; not to mention absolutely beautiful. He seemed interested, and his friends seemed to think so, too. I know that I had feelings for him, as ridiculous as it sounds. I've only known him for a few hours; but there was something about him. My head was filled with thoughts of him as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **Jacob's POV**

My dad was telling me that Charlie had just found out that he had another daughter. Apparently, her mother had died so she was coming to live with him and Bella. It was so weird to think that Bella had a sister.

"Well, you see Jake, her mother was Quileute, too. She flew in last night and I already talked to Sam and Sue about having a bonfire tonight so she can hear the legends and meet everyone. She and Bella will be there around eight."

"So, let me get this straight… Charlie had a relationship with a woman here on the res after Renée and Bella moved away?" This was just too confusing.

"Yes, and she moved away before Charlie ever knew that she was pregnant. She never told Charlie, and from what I've heard, she never told her daughter about Charlie or Bella." He tried to help me understand. "Just make sure you're there a little before eight to help get everything set up."

"Sure, sure."

* * *

I ran to the beach around seven thirty. Sam, Emily, Sue, Dad, Paul, and Seth were already there. I helped them finish setting everything up. A few minutes later, everyone was here except Bella and her sister.

I had run through everything I was going to say to Bella tonight. She had to see that the leech was no good for her. He did nothing but hurt her and put her in danger all the time. I sat and prepared to convince her that I was the one she needed to be with.

"Ugh, Quil! Embry! How did you eat all those hotdogs already? Bella and her sister will be here soon!" Emily wanted to make sure there was enough for everyone but they had bet each other that they could eat more hotdogs than the other and had already eaten them all.

"It's alright, Em. I'll go get some more." I ran up to the store and by the time I got back, Bella was here. As soon as she saw me, she pulled me off to the side.

"Jake, we need to talk." Bella was never one to be subtle. She was more like a battering ram.

"Yeah, we do. But before you say anything, I've got a few things I want to say. I know you feel like you want to be with him, but think about it, Bella. I can offer you so much more than he can. I can offer you a life with warmth and a real family with kids. He can't give you any of that. I love you, Bella. You know being with me is as easy as breathing. Why can't you see that?" She just had to understand. I wouldn't let her become a leech.

"Jake, that's not what I want. I want you, yes, but as my best friend. You have always wanted more than that and I have always told you that it would never be more than that. Why are you being so stubborn about this? I love him, Jake; I always will." She had her jaw set in that stubborn line that meant she wasn't going to back down.

"You're wrong, you do love me. I see the way you look at me. There is nothing you can say to convince me that you don't. If _he_ had just stayed away a little longer, you would have come to realize it yourself. Even if you didn't love me, I would never allow you to be changed. It would break the treaty." I could be just as stubborn as her.

She sighed. "Jake, one day, you're going to imprint on someone and you're going to understand that what you feel for me is just friendship. If I did get with you, what would happen to me when you finally do imprint? Think about it; do you want me to be like Leah? As for _my_ decision about becoming a vampire, it is just that, _my_ decision. The treaty notwithstanding. Now, for tonight at least, let's just be friends, okay?" She gave me a desperate look. I looked deep into her beautiful, brown eyes. Why couldn't it just happen already? Why couldn't I imprint on her?

Sighing, I gave in, for now. "Okay, but we are finishing this conversation later."

"No, we aren't, Jake. You'll see; it will all work out." I didn't know how she could see it that way.

We were almost to the fire when I saw the girl that was sitting next to Seth. My world stopped. I couldn't make my feet move and I stopped breathing as I felt my world shift. She was looking straight at me and I felt my eyes go wide. She was so beautiful. She started to blush under my gaze. Bella turned back to look at me when I stopped. "Oh, Jake, this is my sister, Catarina."

I was vaguely aware that everyone had started laughing. I shook my head and tried to close my mouth. The guys all started making kissing noises. They had figured it out. I had imprinted on Bella's sister. ' _Catarina… So beautiful…'_

She looked up at me with big, green eyes and stuck her hand out. "Jacob, I'm Cat. Nice to meet you." I stood there for another minute before I was able to make myself move. I let go of Bella's hand and took Cat's hand in mine.

"Nice to meet you, too." I smiled and she blushed again. God, she was perfect. I sat next to her. "So, how long have you been in Forks?"

Bella sat down next to me. "She flew in last night. I've been showing her around today."

"It's been great. She showed me around town and we had lunch with the Cullens and then we went shopping with Alice. It was so much fun." _'She WHAT?!'_

"You had lunch… with the Cullens?" I couldn't quite keep the horrified look off my face. My imprint had lunch with a family of vampires on her first day here… and I didn't even know it… What if something had happened to her? The thought made me sick.

"Yeah, we went over to their house and Esme made lunch for everyone. They were really nice. By the way, I love my truck. Thank you for all the work you did on it." She thanked me with a shy smile.

I forced the shocked look off my face and gave her a real smile. "No problem. I love working on cars. I'm glad you like it." I couldn't look away from her, even as I heard my dad clear his throat and begin to repeat the legends. Every so often, she would glance at me from the corner of her eye. I smirked because she blushed every time she caught me looking at her.

Dad finally finished telling the stories and Sue rolled him towards the cars. Before he passed Cat and I, he smiled at me. He then turned to my imprint and his smiled widened. "Cat, it was really nice to meet you. Come visit any time."

"Thanks; it was nice to meet you all, too. I had a great time tonight." He was probably thrilled that I was interested in someone other than Bella. Bella… I hadn't even thought about her even though she was sitting right next to me. Now that I had, I realized that she was right. I didn't love her, and she didn't love me. Just minutes ago, she told me that this would happen. I no longer felt that love for her, but she was still my friend and I would not stand for Edward killing her. It would hurt Catarina to lose the sister she just found out she had.

Cat looked down at her phone to check the time and Emily and Sam starting cleaning up.

Bella suddenly stood up. "Come on, Cat. We need to get home. I'll see you later, Jake."

"Um… okay..." Cat said reluctantly as she dug her keys out of her purse.

"You guys are leaving already?" I couldn't keep the disappointment out of my voice or off my face. I had just met her and she was leaving already? We haven't even started to get to know each other. I wanted to know everything: her favorite color, her hopes and dreams… corny as it sounded, it was the truth.

"Sorry, Jake. Dad said we had to be back by one." She looked at me apologetically. I didn't want her to go yet. "Maybe we could all hang out again soon. I had a lot of fun tonight." ' _Yes! She wants to spend more time with me!'_

I smiled at her. "Sure, sure." I pulled out a napkin and wrote my number on it. "Here's my number. Call any time. If you want to come back tomorrow, it's supposed to be warm enough to swim."

She smiled back at me. "Sounds great." She looked around at everyone else. "It was really nice meeting you all." They all said the same.

I watched her walk away and it was like my heart was being constricted. How was I going to last until tomorrow? It was then I remembered that Edward spends the night with Bella most nights. My imprint was going to be in the same house as a vampire tonight… unacceptable.

As soon as her truck disappeared from sight, I ran towards the tree line. I ignored the calls of my brothers behind me and shifted. I would have to keep watch over her, especially with that damn leech always coming around. She had already been in their house with the whole family. While all that was true, I knew that I would be watching her tonight anyway. Even if she didn't know it, I would always be there for her.

I stopped as I came up to the back of Charlie's house. I heard Bella go upstairs and I smelled Edward waiting for her. I felt a growl involuntarily come out of my mouth. _'Control, I needed to control myself.'_

I saw the light come on in what used to be Charlie's office. She came in the room and closed the door. She stripped down to her underclothes to put her pajamas on. Everything about her was beautiful. She walked over to her window and looked out. I was so happy that I had found my mate that I howled.

She smiled and looked out the window for a few minutes. For a minute, I thought she could see me, but then she went and flopped back on her bed. A little while later I could tell by her breathing that she had fallen asleep…

 _ **Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it; I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get this one right. Please review and let me know what you think! I will try to have a new chapter out soon.**_


	4. Chapter 4: Jacob

_**I know, I know. It's been a while since my last update. This is a long chapter that took me a while to write. Hope you guys enjoy. Thanks to those who provided feedback, favorited, and followed this story. Over a thousand views! Also, feel free to let me know of any punctuation, grammar, or spelling mistakes so I can fix them. I try to read over the chapters carefully before posting but I always seem to miss something.**_

 _ **Chapter 4: Jacob**_

 **Jacob POV**

I stayed outside her window all night. Considering Edward was just down the hall from her and the redheaded vampire was still after Bella, I couldn't bring myself to sleep. The guys and I had just seen the her a few days ago while we were patrolling. We had been wondering why the she kept coming back when Bella told me that the redhead wanted to kill her. That made Charlie's house a target. Not only was my friend in danger, but so was my imprint.

I looked back up at her window when I heard her shift in her sleep. I would have given anything to be in there with her. It took every ounce of my control not to just walk into her room and lay next to her. I didn't want to come off as a creeper, but it was so hard to be this close to her and not be able to hold her. I just forced myself to listen to the rhythm of her heartbeat. Sam had once told me that the more time we spend with our imprints, the more our heartbeats would sync up. He said it was like our heartbeats became one.

Right before the sun came up, I heard Charlie's work alarm go off. Since Charlie was awake, Edward decided to sneak out of Bella's window. He looked over my way and started walking towards me. My hackles rose which made him stop a little further back from me.

"Jacob." He nodded at me. "I just wanted to congratulate you on finding your imprint."

I growled at this, clearly stating in mind what I thought. _'Get the hell out of my head.'_

"I apologize, but you have been practically shouting it in your thoughts all night. It was impossible to tune out. I also wanted to let you know that since you've imprinted on Catarina, I've talked to my family. Technically Forks is on our side of the treaty line; however, I know you will want to protect Catarina yourself. We won't have a problem with it. I know it would be impossible for you to stay away from her." His facial expression shifted and he let out a humorless laugh. "I really am happy for you, Jacob. Hearing in your mind how the imprint works is fascinating."

I glared at him as much as my wolf form allowed. _'You're just happy that I won't be trying to convince Bella that she's in love with me anymore… and do you really think just because I've imprinted on Cat that I'd suddenly be okay with you turning Bella into a leech? This doesn't change the fact that if you change her, you will be breaking the treaty. I may not love Bella the way I thought I did, but she is still my friend.'_

"I would expect nothing less from you, Jacob. However, this is what she wants. I will stay with her unless she orders me away. I hurt her enough by leaving before. I won't make that mistake again. Now that we're together again, she only wants one thing, and that is for me to change her. I wish you would believe me when I tell you that this… existence… is the last thing that I would want for her. I have tried my best to convince her to remain human, even if for a few more years. She is being unreasonably stubborn about it…"

' _Like I believe that you don't want her to be like you. If that were true, you just wouldn't change her. From your point of view, why would you watch her grow old and die, like all humans do, when you could just change her and have her with you forever? Don't act like you don't want that.'_ Like I believed for a second that he wouldn't do everything he could to keep her with him.

"I will admit the selfish part of me wants to have her by my side for the rest of my existence; however, that part is overpowered by the part that wants her to have a normal life. I want her to have all the normal life experiences like going to college, growing older, having children… All those things are much more important than my selfish desires. Do you think I want to watch her leave her friends and family so they won't notice she hasn't aged? No matter how badly I want to have her with me, how could I let someone I love go through that?" He looked genuinely pained by the thought. "How could I take her away from everything that she has ever known and risk her soul just to keep her with me? If the decision were mine, I wouldn't change her. I've told her that her age doesn't matter to me. She is terrified of growing older while I remain 17. I'd much prefer her have a long, _human_ life. She deserves that; it's just not what she wants. What she wants is more important to me than what I want, even if I disagree with it. Nothing I say will change her mind. If I don't do it, she will ask one of the others to change her. Carlisle has already told us that if I don't change her, he will, if it is what Bella wants. As you know, it is." He actually sounded sincere about wanting her to remain human.

' _Why would Carlisle agree to change her if it isn't what you want? Why would he want her to be a vampire?'_ That made no sense to me.

"Carlisle, for all intents and purposes, sees me as his son and loves me as such. Shortly after meeting Bella, I had decided that I could not live in a world without her in it. I knew as long as she remained human, she would eventually die. Suicide is impossible for vampires, so, in the eventuality Bella died, I had planned to end my own life by provoking the Volturi. They are the oldest and most powerful of our kind. There is only one law in which they regularly enforce, and that is to keep our existence a secret from humans. Anyone who makes a spectacle of themselves is quickly executed. I knew if I just asked them to kill me, they would refuse because Aro wants me to join them. He said killing me would be a waste of talent and he would only kill me if I gave him no other choice. If I exposed myself to the humans, they would have no choice but to execute me. When I thought Bella had died a couple months ago, I went to Italy with every intention of dying. I was less than a second away from exposing myself to the humans when Bella stopped me. Had she shown up any later, I wouldn't be here now. Since Carlisle sees me as his son, he doesn't want that to happen again. So, in his mind, the only solution to keep me alive is to change Bella, even if I refuse to. After we returned from Italy, I still refused her request to change her. Her solution was to call a vote with my family. Carlisle's words to me that night were, 'You've chosen not to live without her, which leaves me no choice. I won't lose my son.' To make matters worse, the Volturi now know that Bella knows about vampires. Since she is human, they gave us an ultimatum: change her or they will kill her."

' _Why tell me all this? Did you think this would make me okay with her becoming a vampire? Even if it isn't what you want, the end result will still be the same. The reasons don't matter at that point. There has to be a way to protect her from the Volturi so she can remain human. I know you have already planned for that since you refused to change her before. If you thought there was no way to protect her from them, you would have changed her as soon as you got back.'_ If he thought explaining his reasoning to me was going to keep me from fighting for Bella's life, he was dead wrong. _'Like you said, if she becomes a vampire, she will have to leave her family behind. Do you know how much it will hurt them to lose her? Cat just found out she had a sister a few days ago and she already lost her mom. What about Charlie? After losing Ren_ _é_ _e and Cat's mom, it would break him to lose her. What about Ren_ _é_ _e?'_

"Between Bella's resolve and Carlisle's promise to change her if I refuse, there is nothing I can do, even if I wanted to. If she wanted to remain human, I would move heaven and earth to make sure she stayed that way, Volturi or no Volturi. The reason I'm explaining all of this is so you understand the choice is out of my hands, and yours. You have tried your hardest to change her mind, as have I. Nothing anyone says is going to sway her from her decision. Even if Carlisle hadn't offered to change her, all except Rosalie would be willing to change her themselves." He sighed. "I know this doesn't change how you feel about anything, but sometimes the people we love make decisions that we don't agree with and there is nothing we can do about it. Just please, give some thought to what I've told you, and despite what you may think, I truly am happy that you found your imprint." He turned to leave. Looking back over his shoulder, he said, "Bella hasn't figured out that you imprinted yet, so I will let you tell her when you're ready." He then leapt into the trees, supposedly heading back to his house.

I didn't know what to make of what he told me. Did it change things? I didn't think so. Did it make things more complicated? Hell yes… I was starting to get a migraine.

Adding to my mental chaos, I heard the voices of Sam, Seth, and Jared in my head as they phased for the morning patrol. They caught the just of what Edward and I had discussed. Before they could say anything, I thought, _'Please, I don't want to talk about it anymore.'_ Cat would probably be waking up soon. If I wanted to hang out with her today, I should probably get a shower. _'Jared, can you come sit here for a few minutes while I run get a shower?'_

' _Sure, man. I'll be right there.'_ He mentally smiled as did Sam and Seth.

' _We're so happy for you, bro.'_ Seth liked Bella, but he was glad that I wasn't in pain anymore.

' _Call me if anything happens.'_ We switched off and I ran home to get a quick shower.

* * *

 **Catarina POV**

 _I was sitting in my room playing on the floor when I heard the screaming start. My mother had brought another man home tonight. I crawled into my bed and covered my ears with a pillow as their fight got louder. This wasn't the first time._

 _A few minutes later I heard a door slam. My mother let out a harsh, frustrated scream. I heard my door open a few seconds later. I stayed under the covers, trying to pretend I was asleep. Suddenly, the pillow was ripped away and my covers were yanked back._

 _I looked up to see my mother glaring at me. Early in the day, she would just ignore me; but as the day turned to night, she would get drunk and smoke that smelly stuff the men would bring._

" _You little piece of shit! Because of you, no man will ever want me again!" She yelled out again and started to hit me. I tried desperately to block her blows, but I was too small to fight back._

" _Please, mommy, stop!" I cried._

I bolted up in my bed. A cold sweat clung to my skin. Would these nightmares ever stop? I just needed that part of my life to be over. I finally had a chance at a decent life. Why couldn't the past just stay behind me? It seemed like every time I thought I was moving past everything, it would come back and bite me in the ass.

The sun wasn't even up yet, which meant I hadn't gotten but a few hours of sleep. As tired as I was, I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. I needed to do something to distract myself.

Getting up, I picked out some clothes, put on some music, and hopped in the shower. After dressing, I headed down to the kitchen. Dad was sitting at the table reading the paper and drinking coffee. "Morning, dad." I walked over to the coffee pot and poured myself a cup.

"Morning, sweetheart. What are you doing up so early?" He gave me a look that told me I probably looked like crap. "Are you feeling okay?"

I did my best to perk myself up. "I just couldn't sleep. It takes me a few days to get used to sleeping somewhere new and I think I need some more time to adjust to the time difference. It's 8:30 a.m. in Tennessee right now, which is when I would normally get up." I sat across from him.

He eyed me like he didn't quite believe me. "I guess you have been through a lot of changes in the past few days." He paused and took a sip of his coffee. "Since it's Friday, I thought maybe tonight after I get off work, you and I could go out to eat, just the two of us. We could go to the diner and take some time to talk. We haven't spent much time together since I've had to work."

"Sure, I'd like that. What time do you get off?" I took a large gulp of my coffee. Maybe if I drank enough caffeine, I wouldn't be so tired today.

"I get off at five so I can come back here and pick you up at 5:30 or we could just meet there at 5:15. It's up to you." He seemed so far out of his element. Honestly, I think he would have been better with sons. He just didn't seem to know what to do with daughters, but least he was trying. It was actually kind of endearing.

"Well, Bella and I are probably going to hang out down on the res today so I can just meet you there after we hang out." The thought of seeing Jake again made me smile despite my mood. He was going to be a much welcome distraction today.

"You make a lot of friends down there last night?" he asked.

I nodded. "Seth was really sweet. Quil and Embry were hilarious. Emily and Sue were nice to me and Billy was telling us all about the legends of the tribe. I got to thank Jacob for working on my truck, too."

"Billy was always into all that supernatural mumbo-jumbo. Jake's a good kid. Billy might come up tonight around nine to watch the football game." Neither one of us said anything for a few minutes. He was still looking through the morning paper when he made a disapproving noise.

"What?" The silence between us wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but I felt the need to try to keep the conversation going.

"There's been a rash of mysterious disappearances and murders in Seattle and they have no leads. We've even had a boy from here go missing. It's getting out of control." He scoffed again and put the paper down. He got up and rinsed out his mug. "That reminds me though…" He walked over to his work bag, pulled something out, and handed it to me. "I'd like you to carry this with you. I gave one to Bella, too. It'll just give me some peace of mind."

Looking down at the bottle, I saw it was pepper spray. "Thanks."

Heading over to the door, he put his belt, jacket, and shoes on. "Your welcome. Just be safe. Do you know how to get to the diner?"

"Yup, Bella showed me where it was yesterday." It was still so strange to have someone take care of me, to want me to be safe and happy. After having only been here just over a day, I realized this is what it felt like to be loved and cared for. This was a feeling that I had never experienced in my 16, almost 17, years. When this realization hit me, it brought tears to my eyes. I knew things had been bad before, but it wasn't until now that I realized how bad. It was like since my life had never had much good in it, I didn't know what I was missing, so it was easier to deal with it. Now that I saw how things are supposed to be, it made me realize how shitty my childhood had been.

Dad saw my tears and his face grew concerned. He walked back over to me. "Honey, what's wrong?" He put an arm around me and pulled me into his chest. I didn't cry, but I felt a few tears roll down my face.

I hugged him back. "I'm sorry. I just realized how much I've missed out on. I wish I could have grown up here with you and Bella." It was true, as far as it went, but I wasn't about to tell him about the rest of it. He would feel guilty when none of it was his fault. I let him hold me for another minute, then I pushed myself back and wiped my face. "I'm okay now. Just an emotional moment. Go ahead, I don't want you to be late for work." I gave him a watery smile.

"No, I'll call out. I should be here…" I cut him off.

"No, no. I'm fine, really. I won't be alone. I'm going to the res, remember? Go, I'll be fine. I'm happy here, that's all. It just all caught up with me at one time." He didn't need to miss work just because I was being mopey. Even though I hadn't known him long, I knew his job was important to him.

He gave me an assessing look. "Are you sure?"

I nodded and forced myself to smile. "I'm sure."

After another minute of debating, he gave in. "Alright, but if you need me, even if it's just to talk, you call me, okay? I mean it."

"We'll talk at dinner. I'm okay. I'll see you tonight." I gave him a little smile.

"Okay, I love you, kiddo." He hugged me one more time and kissed the top of my head. It almost brought me to tears again.

"I love you, too, dad." My voice almost cracked. God, I had to get a handle on my emotions today.

He finally left for work and I decided to make a bowl of cereal. After I finished eating, I did the dishes and grabbed one of my books. I had to do something to get me out of my feels so I wouldn't be a mopey mess when we went to hang out. I curled up on the couch and got lost in the story.

* * *

 **Bella's POV**

By the time I woke up, Edward was already gone. Getting up, I got dressed and called him.

"Good morning, love." Just hearing his voice was like a high.

"Morning." My heart swelled. I was so in love with this boy. Well, man, really, considering he was technically over 100 years old. For the millionth time, I wondered what it was that he saw in me. I was so plain and he was perfectly amazing.

"What are your plans for today? I was thinking you and Cat could come over…" No, I didn't want her to come. I know that we were both supposed to go to the reservation today, but I just wanted to be alone with Edward.

I cut him off. "Actually, Cat made plans last night to go back to the reservation today and hang out. I just want to spend some time alone with you today." Catarina hadn't done anything wrong per say, but I couldn't help but think how much more compatible she and Edward would be. She was much more graceful, more talented, especially musically, prettier, curvier, and her hair and eyes weren't dull colors like mine. She was just more exotic than me. As petty as it seemed, I wanted to keep her away from Edward. I didn't want him to realize that she was just a better, more interesting version of me.

He let out a light chuckle. "Alright, what would you like to do?"

"Could we just go to our meadow?" I just needed to be alone with him in our special place.

"Sure, I'll be there in 60 seconds to get you." He hung up and I put my boots on. Heading downstairs, I saw Cat was curled up on the couch with a book.

She looked up from her book when she heard me come down the stairs. "Morning, Bella. What time are you wanting to go down to the res today?" She looked like she hadn't slept worth a shit.

"Um, actually, I made plans with Edward. We can go another time, okay?" I was trying not to be rude, but it was like she was taking my place in so many ways. She weaseled in with my vampire family by playing the piano and enjoying shopping with Alice. To top all that off, now she was trying to take my friends at the reservation, too. On some level, I knew she was just trying to fit in and find her place here, but I couldn't help but feel like she was the new and improved Bella. Bella 2.0. It made me feel obsolete.

"Oh, okay. Just so you know, dad and I are going to the diner tonight so we can talk, so if we aren't home, that's where we will be." Perfect. Just perfect. Mentally, I threw my hands in the air. Now she was going to the diner with dad. That was our thing. Just then, we heard Edward's Volvo pull up. "Are you headed out now?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm not sure when I'll be home, so just tell dad I'm with Edward and I'll be back before curfew."

"Okay, thanks…" She sounded kind of depressed about not going to the reservation today, but I just couldn't bring myself to go.

I went out and hopped in Edward's car. We kissed for a few minutes and he took off towards the meadow.

Pulling up to the trail head, I climbed on his back and we were there within a minute or so. He set me down and we just sat next to each other in silence.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Just because he couldn't read my mind didn't mean he couldn't tell when there was something wrong.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Not really, but I didn't want to bring it up with him. I cuddled in closer to him.

"Bella… come on. Give me something. You know how much this drives me crazy since I can't read your thoughts." He looked so frustrated. "Ever since you found out about Catarina, you've been a little distant and quiet. Please, tell me what you're thinking." He kept trying to pry it out of me.

Finally, I had enough. Looking away from him, I vented. "I'm upset because my sister, who is pretty, exotic and talented, is taking my place. She's going out to the diner with dad tonight; she wants to hang out with Jake and my friends on the reservation; she loved shopping with Alice; and she's like the perfect match for you. I'm so ordinary compared to her. How could you meet her and still want to be with me over her? She's like the better, more interesting, prettier, funnier, smarter, and more talented version of me." For a second he didn't say anything. I felt his cool, hard fingers on my chin as he turned my face to look at him.

He had a horrified expression on his face. "Bella, how could you think that? Yes, you and your sister have differences, but I don't prefer her above you. You are the one that is perfect for me. How many times must I tell you that you are anything but ordinary. You are the most extraordinary person in the world to me. What can I do or say to convince you this is how I truly feel? I also know for a fact that she doesn't like me like that, so please don't ever think that again. I love you, and only you, now, and forever."

"How do you know she doesn't want to be with you? You told me her mind was like mine and you couldn't hear her thoughts." I wanted to believe him, but my emotions weren't something I could reason with.

"I may not be able to read her mind, but I know from reading other minds that she is in no way interested in me. As for going out with your dad, she hasn't known him for most of her life and he has had to work since she came. He is just trying to get to know her. They haven't had alone time to talk about her mom or about what her life has been like up until now. Her mother was Quileute so I see why she would want to get to know everyone from the reservation. She isn't trying to take your place, love. She's just trying to find her place here. You can both be friends with everyone from the reservation and once she and your father get to know each other better, I'm sure that he will start taking both of you to do things with him." He made valid points, but I still felt like she was overshadowing me in my own life.

"What have you read in whose minds about who she likes?" Did she already have a crush on someone here?

"Oh, no. I will wait for her to talk to you about that. I know my powers are invasive, but I do try to maintain people's privacy. If I could read your mind, you wouldn't want me repeating every passing thought that you had." He was right, but still…

It was frustrating me. "I told you what was bothering me and you can't tell me who she likes?"

"Those were your thoughts that you shared with me voluntarily. You wouldn't want everything you think to be passed around behind your back, so don't ask me to do that to your sister. I know it's frustrating, trust me. Just know that everything is fine and it will all work out. You'll see. She enjoys spending time with you, too. I could tell when I was following you around town with her yesterday. I don't think she's had anyone to be close to like that. I'm sure once you spend more time with her, you'll understand her better. Why don't you make time tomorrow to do something with her? Maybe you can find something you both enjoy doing?" I felt a little twinge of guilt for leaving her alone today. Here she was, in a new town with a new family that she didn't know well and I just left her there alone because I was feeling insecure. It was then that a thought occurred to me.

My eyes widened with realization. "Wait… she's half Quileute… Did one of the guys imprint on her? Was it Seth? He was hanging all over her. I hope it wasn't Paul. Maybe it was Quil? It's hard to tell because he flirts with every girl. Was it Embry?"

"Love, I'm not going to say anything. Just see how it turns out. I think you'll be surprised, but in a good way. Let's just enjoy the rest of our day. We will do whatever you want." I loved Edward, but it was times like these that he irritated me. He would hear things that I would want to know but he would keep them from me. He pulled me into his arms and kissed my neck.

Hesitantly, I agreed, and we spent the rest of the day relaxing together.

* * *

 **Jacob's POV**

After switching off with Jared, I ran back to my house to rinse off and eat before Cat called. I washed, dressed and started making a huge breakfast. I had forgotten to eat dinner last night amid everything.

My dad was sitting at the table with a grin so big, I thought it's split his face. "Dad, you're going to pull a muscle if you keep smiling like that."

He laughed. "How could I stop smiling? You've finally found your soulmate. I'm so happy for you, son. Not to mention Charlie and I will be in-laws. I couldn't be happier about it. Now all we have to do is convince Bella to break up with Edward."

I put my huge plate on the table and a much smaller one in front of my dad. Muttering, I told him, "Don't hold your breath on that one. I think we've tried everything. She's just so damn stubborn…"

"Well, we still have time. Now, what are your plans today? Are you going to see Cat?" He was just beside himself that I had finally imprinted.

"I stayed outside Charlie's last night and Jared is there now. I gave her my number last night and told her since it was going to be nice today we could go swimming. I'm just waiting on her to call." I wished she would go ahead and call so I could see her again.

"Well, I'm glad. When you bring her down, swing by here for a few minutes so I can see her again." He literally giggled.

"Sure, sure." It was good to see him happy for once.

* * *

 **Catarina's POV**

After Bella left, I read my book for a little while longer. Despite my morning, reading had put me in a better mood. I decided I wanted to get out of the house and since Bella left me hanging, so I decided to call Jacob anyway. She didn't have to go for me to hang out with him. Pulling out his number, I saved his contact information and dialed.

It barely rang once before I heard his sexy voice say, "Hello?" He must have been right next to his phone.

"Hey, Jake, it's Cat. I was just wondering if you still wanted to go to the beach today?" I did my best to not sound desperate or over-excited.

"Sure. Do you want me to come pick you guys up? I can be there in ten minutes." He sounded excited. It occurred to me right then that he might not want to hang out if Bella didn't come. I guess there was only one way to find out.

"Actually, Bella went out with Edward today so it's just me. Is that alright?" _'Please say yes.'_

He didn't hesitate in his response. Still sounding excited, he said, "No problem. You ready now?"

"I just need to change my clothes." I headed upstairs to change into my bikini.

"Cool, I'll be there in 10 minutes or less. See you in a few." I heard him grabbing his keys.

"Okay, bye." I hung up and quickly changed into my light green bikini. After throwing on some jean shorts, a loose tank top, and some flip flops, I was ready. I bounced down the stairs and grabbed my keys. Just then, I heard a car pull up outside so I walked out.

Locking the door, I ran up to his car as he got out. He was wearing a tight, white t-shirt and a pair of blue swim trunks, but no shoes. "Hey, Cat. You ready to go?" He leaned on his car with his arms crossed and smiled at me.

"Yes." I smiled back at him and he moved to open the passenger side door for me. He walked around and got in. "Is this your car? It's great."

"Yeah, thanks. I finished rebuilding it a few months ago." We talked on the way to the beach and before I knew it, we were there. We got out and headed toward the water. I put my bag down with my towel, cell phone, and keys in it and took my shirt, shorts, and shoes off. I placed them on my bag and looked up at a now shirtless Jacob.

He was giving me a hungry look as his eyes wandered. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the tattoo on my back. It was a big dreamcatcher that went from my shoulders to my lower back. "Nice tattoo."

I returned the favor and looked him over. While wearing a shirt, I could tell he was muscular, but that word just didn't do him justice. Seeing him shirtless for the first time, ripped was more the word I was looking for. Seeing him like this made me blush. I noticed that he had a tattoo on his upper arm. "You, too. Race you to the water." I challenged.

He grinned at me. "Oh, you're going to regret that." He took off before I could even turn around.

"Hey, no fair! I wasn't ready!" He laughed and I took off after him. He beat me, of course. It surprised me because I ran track and kept in shape. The water was the perfect temperature today. We walked a little way out into the water and we spent some time talking.

He would tell me about everyone here on the res and then ask more about me like all my favorites and what I liked to do. I asked him similar questions back. It was his turn to ask a question and he got a strange look on his face. "Come on, ask. We said anything goes." I splashed some water in his face.

He laughed and splashed me back. Then his face got a little more serious. "So, did you leave a boyfriend back in Tennessee?"

I grimaced a little. "Just an ex-boyfriend. He was a complete tool. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

He smiled at my answer and then said, "Nope." To my embarrassment, my stomach chose that moment to growl. It was just about noon so it was time for lunch. He laughed again. "Come on, we can go back to my house and get some lunch. I'm starving, too."

Sadly, we both put our clothes back on and got back in his car. A few minutes later, we pulled up in front of a little red house. After we walked inside, Billy came around the corner. "Cat, so good to see you could come visit again."

"Me, too. We just went down to the beach for a little while. The weather today is amazing." Jacob led us into the kitchen.

"We just came to make some lunch. What are your plans today, dad?" Jake started going through cabinets and pulling out ingredients for what looked like sandwiches.

"I'm just going to go help Sue out with a few things and then later tonight I'm probably going to go watch the game with Charlie. I'm just about to head out, but you guys enjoy. Have fun, kids." He grinned and wheeled himself out the door.

We talked some more while we ate lunch. Jacob ate so much; it was a wonder he didn't get sick. When we finished, I helped him clean up. My lack of sleep must have caught up with me because I couldn't stop the yawn from coming out of my mouth.

"Hey, are you tired? Do you need me to take you home?" He looked way too concerned about one little yawn.

"No, no. I'm fine. I'm just still adjusting to the time change. So, what do you want to do next? I've got about four hours before I have to head back." I wasn't ready to go home. I was getting one-on-one time with a smoking hot, very attentive Jacob. If it were up to me, I'd never leave.

"What's in four hours?" We walked into the living room.

"Dad offered to take me to the diner for dinner so we could get a chance to talk. He had to work yesterday and today so I haven't had the chance to get to know him yet." It had seemed like a better idea this morning to go, and I still wanted to, but that meant I was going to have to leave Jake sooner.

"Well, we could go for a walk. Sam and Emily's place isn't too far from here so we could swing by there to see everyone for a few minutes and grab a snack. Em loves to cook for us." He put his shoes on.

"Sounds awesome. Let's go." I got a little brave and looped my slender arm through his big, beefy one. I pulled him outside and he led me to a path in the woods.

"I love the trees here. You just don't see things like this back in Tennessee." I was looking up at the insanely tall and thick trees.

"It is pretty great. I know it seems kind of off-putting here at first with the rain and all, but the longer you're here, the more you'll see things like this. Let's go over this way and I'll show you the tide pools." He was walking close enough to me for our arms to brush when he slowly snaked his arm around my slender waist.

My heart started fluttering and I smile up at him. I wasn't exactly short at five-foot-four, but I still literally had to look up at him. He had to be almost six and a half feet tall. Every time he looked at me, my heart would start hammering so loud, I was sure that he could hear it. Before long, we were walking up to the tide pools. Sitting next to each other, he was showing me all the little organisms there. It was so cute, like each one was its own little world. I glanced up from the pool and saw that his face was much closer to mine than I had expected. I felt my blush come back full-force.

His face slowly got closer to mine. My breath caught when he paused and I leaned in the rest of the way and our lips met. He started out soft and slow, but before we knew it, the kiss had turned fiery. We both pulled back gasping for air. I had never had a kiss that felt like that. It felt like my heart was soaring. We didn't say much after that; I just leaned back against him and he put his arms around me. It was such a perfect moment that neither of us wanted to end it by saying anything.

Our perfect moment ended when we heard a wolf howling. It was so loud; it couldn't have been far. Jacob stood up and pulled me up with him. Taking my hand, he told me to run. "Jake!" He was running even faster than I was normally capable of, and I'm not slow. I must have been going too slow because he turned around and picked me up bridal style. Something really bad was happening. "Jake, what's going on?"

He carried me as if I weighed nothing and ran even faster than before. A minute later, a small house came into view. Jake made a loud yip sound and set me down just before we got to the door. Opening the door, he pushed us both in. "Em, who all is here?"

She looked startled. "Seth and Paul are out back."

Still looking at Emily, he said, "Okay, I'm going to tell them to stay here." He then looked down at me with concern written all over his face. "I've got to go handle something. I'll be back as soon as I can. Promise me you'll stay inside with Emily and don't leave until I come back, okay?"

"What-?" I was about to demand an explanation when his face got more severe.

"Promise me!" He looked scared.

"Okay, I promise." As I watched him run out the back door, a sense of dread and fear settled in my gut like a rock. I looked over at Emily. She looked worried, too.

Forcing a smile, she grabbed my arm and led me to the kitchen table. We sat and she poured us some coffee. "It'll be okay. Don't worry."

"What's going on? I don't understand." I had no way of explaining what was going on. It didn't make any sense to me.

The look she gave me was sympathetic. "Jacob will explain everything when he gets back. It's not my place to say. Just relax and they will all be back in a little while." She didn't sound very convincing.

We sat waiting for over an hour. It felt like we were waiting for days. I was about to fall apart at the seams when the guys started pouring back in, minus a few. I held my breath until I saw Jacob walk in. He looked relieved when he saw me. Walking over to my side, he pulled me into a tight embrace. I held him back and he pulled back after a few moments. I saw Emily and Sam doing something similar. I looked back up at Jake when he started pulling me out the back door.

Once outside, he walked us into the woods. "Jake, what happened? What's going on? I don't understand. I've been worried sick." He stopped and pulled me into his embrace again. He held on for a while longer this time.

"Everything's fine. We handled it. Don't worry." He pulled back to look at me and sighed. "I had planned on waiting a little longer before telling you about all of this, but you aren't going to let this go without an explanation, are you?" I shook my head. Sighing again, he continued. "You remember those legends my dad told last night?" I nodded. "Well, they're all true, every last one of them." He paused, I assume to give me a chance to digest that information and to gauge my reaction.

I just did a slow blink and gave him a confused face. "What do you mean they're all true?"

"The cold ones are what we call the vampires. They drink human blood, just like in the legends. Every time vampires come near here, the few people in the tribe that carry the gene will shift into an over-sized wolf. Our job as the protectors of the tribe is to kill them and keep everyone safe." He paused again to give me time to process.

"So… what you are trying to tell me is that vampires exist, and you and the guys turn into giant wolves meant to kill them so they can't harm the humans?" Was I supposed to believe all this?

My disbelief must have shown on my face because he said, "I know it's hard to believe, so let me show you. I'm going to walk behind that tree so I can take off my clothes and phase." He put his finger under my chin to make me look up at him. "Don't be scared, okay? I would never hurt you." He leaned in and brushed his lips across mine before disappearing behind the tree.

A few seconds later, true to his word, a wolf the size of a large horse emerged. He moved slowly, coming towards me. I couldn't believe it. He wasn't making any of this up. I couldn't make myself move. As he got closer, he lowered his huge frame down to the ground and crawled the last few feet. Whimpering up at me, he nudged my leg with his huge, wet nose.

Tentatively, I reached down to pet his head. His fur was softer than it looked. Looking into his eyes, I saw the intelligence there that proved to me that this was Jacob and not just some mutated animal. I sat next him and he raised his head up so he could lick my face with his massive wolf tongue. It made me laugh. "Ewww, Jake, gross."

He made a sound that sounded a lot like a laugh and rolled his tongue out the side of his mouth. I pet him again and scooted closer so I could cuddle in his fur. Looking up at him, I realized something. "That howling I heard last night, it was you, wasn't it? You were watching over me?" He nodded and rubbed the side of his head against me.

A few minutes later he got up and went back behind the tree to phase back. He came out with his clothes on and walked over to me. "Are you okay? I know it's a lot to take in."

I thought about it. It was incredible and strange all at the same time. "I'm okay. You didn't get hurt or anything, did you? Is everyone else okay?"

He wrapped his arms around me and rested his forehead against mine. "Everyone is fine. We didn't get her this time, but she won't get anywhere near you and Bella. I promise."

"Bella? She knows, too?" _'Was I the only one who hadn't known?'_

"She does, but Charlie doesn't. The wolves include me, Sam, Paul, Embry, Quil, Seth, Jared and Leah. We all have this tattoo to show we are the protectors of the tribe." He raised his sleeve to show me the tattoo I had seen earlier. "Other than that, my dad, old Quil, Sue, Emily, and Kim know about us. In Forks, only Bella and the Cullens know." That wasn't very many people.

"How did Bella find out? Why do the Cullens know about you?" I felt like at any moment, all this would become too much for me to take.

"Well… the Cullens are vampires…" He started.

My eyes widened. "They are!? Bella knows she's dating a vampire? Why…?"

"We have a treaty with the Cullens. As long as they stay on their side of the treaty line and don't bite any humans, we leave each other alone. They are different from other vampires. They only feed on the blood of animals. Bella knows that Edward and the rest of the Cullens are vampires. A while back, there was a group of three nomad vampires that passed through. One of them was a tracker, James, who saw tracking Bella as the ultimate game. She was protected by a coven of vampires so it was the greatest challenge he'd ever had. His mate, Victoria, helped him. They almost got her, too. She ended up in the hospital with a broken leg, blood loss, and she damn near got turned into a vampire during the attack. Edward had to suck the venom out of her to keep her human. They killed the tracker but his mate is still out there. Since Edward killed James, her mate, she thinks it's only fair to kill his mate, Bella. So, she's been after her ever since. The Cullens watch over the Forks side of the line and we watch over the reservation. The third vampire came back several months ago to find Bella for Victoria, but we killed him. Now we just need to stop her. We won't let anything happen to you. I promise. We WILL get her." He looked worried about telling me all this.

"So, the howl earlier was a warning that she was near and you went to go try to kill her?" All that time I was sitting there waiting, he was in danger.

"Yes." He took my hands in his. They were so warm.

"Do you have a fever? You're not sick, are you?" That was the last thing I needed right now.

He chuckled a little. "No, it isn't a fever. All the wolves body temperatures stay around 108 degrees. It's normal for us. We can't get sick."

"Not ever?" This was all too much.

"No, never." He looked so worried.

I reached my hand up to his face and cupped his cheek. "I'm okay; it's just going to take some time for all this to sink in."

He looked relieved. "I'm so sorry I had to dump it all on you like this. I wanted to ease you into it, not slam it all on you at once.

"I'm glad you told me. I don't want us to have any secrets." The look on his face was enough. "There's more, isn't there?"

"I don't want to keep anything from you, but with everything you've been through in the past few days, it can wait until later." I gave him the look that deserved.

"Jacob, just tell me. No secrets." It was a lot; in fact, I was sure it was going to be enough to make my head explode, but I didn't want anything coming between us. I also saw the frustration on his face. He wanted to tell me so bad.

"Are you sure?" I nodded and he paused for a minute. "Well, it's a wolf thing. At first we thought it was just a legend, then it happened to Sam. We thought then that it must be a rare thing, but it's been happening more and more. I guess it's to make sure that the wolf gene continues to be passed down, or that's the theory. It's called imprinting and it happens when a wolf sees their soulmate for the first time. The closest thing I can compare it to is love at first sight, but it's so much more than that. It's like, when you see her, it's no longer gravity holding you down, it's her. You'd be anything for her: a brother, a protector, or a lover; whatever she needed you to be. Her pain is your pain; her happiness is your happiness. It happened to Sam first. When he saw Emily for the first time, he just knew she was the one he would spend the rest of his life with. Then Jared imprinted on Kim."

He was looking at me with a mix of worry and anticipation. My heart sped up. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Last night, when I first saw you sitting by the fire, I knew. The moment I laid eyes on you, you became the most important thing in my life. I knew in that moment I would do anything to keep you safe and happy. Nothing else mattered. The pull of the imprint is so strong, even the thought of not being by your side is painful. That's why I followed you home last night. I had to make sure you were safe."

I was blushing so hard that I felt lightheaded. "So I'm your soulmate?"

He nodded shyly, "And I'm yours."

I stood up on my toes and put one hand on his chest and the other on the back of his neck. Pulling him down for a kiss, he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me so deeply, it was like he was drowning and I was his air. All too soon, he pulled back so we could catch our breath. "I was wondering why I couldn't get you out of my head last night."

Still holding on to me, he smiled like he was trying not to. "So, you were thinking about me?"

I smacked his chest playfully and smiled. "Don't let it go to your head, wolf-boy." He laughed at that and then his stomach started growling. "You're hungry again? You just had a huge lunch."

He ducked his head almost like he was embarrassed. "Heh, yeah, that's another wolf thing. Our metabolisms are so fast that we have to eat a lot more than normal and more often."

I pulled out of his embrace and took his hand. "Well, let's go get you something to eat."

We walked back into the house and everyone looked over at us. They smiled when they saw our joined hands. "Hey, Em, what do you have to eat? I'm starving."

She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. "I just finished making some hamburgers. Go make a plate."

He made a plate and we joined everyone in the living room. Sitting in a chair, he pulled me onto his lap. Somehow, he managed to balance me and eat his hamburgers. We all talked as the boys ate. They were all telling me what it was like to be a wolf. Apparently, they could read each other's minds and communicate like that while in wolf form. I had to admit, I was kind of jealous. Despite the fact they became wolves to fight off vampires, turning into a wolf sounded freaking awesome.

Around this time, Emily got up to start collecting and washing the dishes. She was standing in front of the sink when Sam came up behind her and started kissing her shoulders. She giggled and said, "Mr. Uley, if you keep distracting me like that, I won't get anything done." Playfully swatting him away, she returned to washing the dishes.

Upon hearing Sam's last name, my eyes widened and I froze. "Uley? That was my mom's last name." Everyone got quiet and stared at me.

Sam looked shocked. Recovering a few seconds later, he asked, "What was her full name?"

"Allison Uley." He visibly paled and everyone else's mouths dropped open. Looking back at Sam, I asked, "Did you know her?"

"Allison Uley was my mother. She took off seventeen years ago…" It was my turn to pale.

"So, you're my brother?" This was just too much. First, I find out I have a dad and half-sister and now I have a half-brother? Why didn't dad tell me? Sam's face shifted through several emotions. He looked sad now. I realized then he was remembering that she was dead. What a way to find out the mom that left you as a child cheated on your dad and is never coming back. "I'm sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have brought it up like that."

He just stood there a moment. Emily came up behind him and hugged him. He looked back at her and cleared his throat. Looking back at me, he said, "It's not your fault. She left a long time ago. In any case, I have a sister now." Despite the pain he must be feeling right now, he smiled.

Getting up from Jacob's lap, I walked over to him. We looked at each other for a minute before he pulled me into a hug. It surprised me at first, but then I hugged him back. He released me and looked back at Jacob, who was now standing behind me. Sam's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to say something, but Jacob cut him off. "I know, I know. If I hurt her or let anything happen to her, you'll kick my ass." Jake smirked and wrapped his arms around me.

Sam closed his mouth and smiled. "Yes, I will." He had only known I was his little sister for a minute, literally, and he was already going protective big brother on me. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but Jake cut him off again.

"I know you guys will probably want to talk, but right now I've got to get her home. She's got dinner plans with Charlie soon." I'm glad he said something because I had totally forgotten.

"Oh! I forgot…" So much had happened in the past few hours that it completely slipped my mind.

"It's alright. You've been through a lot today. Let's walk back to my place then I'll drive you home." After saying goodbye to everyone, we start heading back to Jake's house.

"I can't believe that Sam is my brother. I feel so bad that I blindsided him like that. He shouldn't have found out about mom cheating on his dad and dying like that." He had looked so hurt and confused.

"Babe, you didn't know." He put his arm around me as we walked. "Sam knows that. Besides, he really is happy that he has a sister."

A few minutes later, we got back to his house and we got in Jake's car so he could take me home. After pulling up to the house, Jake opened my door and walked me inside. Bella still wasn't home. "I need to go change clothes before I leave."

"Is he coming to pick you up?" I didn't want Jake to go, but I needed to spend some time with my dad.

"No, I'm going to meet him there. What are you going to do while I'm gone?" He gave me a look that clearly said I should know what he was going to do. Thinking about it for a minute, it hit me. "You're going to follow me and watch over me?"

He ran his knuckles lightly over my cheek. "Victoria is still out there. You and Bella smell enough alike that she could mistake you for her. I'm not going to take any chances. If something ever happened to you…"

My next thought made me laugh a little. "Nothing is going to happen to me. My dad is a cop and my older brother and boyfriend are over-protective werewolves."

He smiled. "Boyfriend?"

"Well considering your my soulmate, staying 'just friends' would be kind of pointless. Besides, I need to let all the other girls know that you are so off the market." He started laughing. "I'm serious. You're sexy as hell; I'm going to be chasing girls off left and right. It might even be a full-time job." That made him laugh harder.

"You're one to talk. Have you seen how other guys look at you?" I shook my head.

"I only pay attention to one guy." He smiled and leaned down to give me a very thorough kiss. I sighed. "I really do need to go get ready."

"Alright, go on. I'll wait here." As I turned to walk up the stairs, he swatted my butt.

"Jacob Black, did you just spank me?" I asked in mock outrage.

He just smirked at me. "Maybe."

Even though he was being cocky, he was so freaking adorable. "You're absolutely shameless, you know that?" He looked at me totally unrepentant.

I continued my way upstairs and quickly changed out of my swimwear. Coming back downstairs, I spent another minute with Jake before I got in my truck and started toward the diner. Knowing that he would still be near me made leaving a little easier. By the time I pulled up to the diner, I saw that dad was already here.

Mentally preparing myself for yet another emotional conversation, I got out of my truck and headed inside.

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5: Family

_**I know it's been a long time since I posted a chapter and I deeply apologize. I haven't forgotten about you guys. I know you guys have heard every excuse in the book so I'll skip that part. This one isn't as long as the last one but I will try to have another out in the next few days. Love your comments and reviews! We have reached over 2,000 views! Thanks so much for all your feedback/support and to all those who review, comment, and add me and/or this story to your favorites/follow list. Again, I try to keep spelling and grammar mistakes out, but I am human, so please let me know if you find any and I will fix it. Thank you and I hope you enjoy!**_

 _ **Chapter 5: Family**_

 **Catarina's POV**

I walked into the diner, which looked like a mix between a lodge and a 50's throwback, and glanced around until I spotted my father sitting at a corner booth. I walked over and sat across from him. "Sorry I'm a few minutes late. I got caught up down at the res."

"It's okay. I haven't been here long." He looked up as the waitress came up to our table.

She smiled and handed me a menu. "So, you must be Cat. It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Cora. Just let me know if you need anything." She looked over at Charlie. "With daughters this gorgeous, you're going to be beating boys off with a stick."

He gave a grim-looking smile that looked more like a grimace. "Don't I know it."

She laughed. "Well, I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders." She turned to check on her other tables. I assumed she was just giving me time to look over the menu. Dad ate here all the time and probably knew the menu like the back of his hand. I mean, it was pretty much the only dine-in restaurant in town.

True to her word, Cora came back a few minutes later and placed our orders. While we waited for our food, dad took the opportunity to try and ask me some questions. "So, how are you liking Forks so far? I know living in a small town can take some getting used to."

"Actually, I love it. I lived in Nashville before and big cities are too stuffy for me. People are nicer in small towns. I like how everyone knows each other and helps each other out. It isn't like that in big cities. People tend to mind their own business and walk around with blinders on." I hadn't thought I would like small-town living, but I found I actually did love it.

Our food came and he continued to ask me inconsequential things like what my hobbies were and such. "I like music. Maybe that has something to do with growing up in Nashville. I play the guitar and the violin mostly. That was what was in those big bags you helped me carry upstairs."

"Are you looking forward to starting school soon?" It was cute that he was trying to get to know me, but some of the questions, like this one, were a little obvious.

"Not really. I mean, I like learning and all that, but the whole getting up at the crack of dawn and going to school all day only to come home with a bundle of homework isn't exactly something to look forward to. I get bored sometimes because the teachers move through the material too slow for me. I get good grades, but it's just hard sometimes to focus. That and, let's be honest, how much of that stuff will I actually need to know?" I was academically inclined and got straight A's, but I ended up taking honors classes just so I wouldn't be so bored.

We talked for a while longer when he said we should probably head home. After paying our bill, we both walked to our vehicles and drove back to the house. Pulling up, I realized Bella still wasn't home. That would give me at least a few more minutes before her curfew to ask dad some questions about what had happened between him and my mother.

We walked in and sat in the living room. "Dad, I was wondering if you could tell me about you and mom."

With a look of resignation, he took a deep breath. "I figured you'd eventually ask about what happened." Sighing, he began to explain. "I would like to say that it was all hearts and roses, but I won't lie to you. After Renée left me and took Bella with her, I was in a bad place. It just so happened that around the same time, your mom and her husband, Joshua Uley, were separated as well. From what I understood, she had caught him cheating on her with another woman on the reservation. She was really torn up about it. The more time I spent with her, the more I realized that I loved her. Unfortunately, though she said she cared for me, she didn't love me. She was still in love with her husband and she told me she was going to try and repair their marriage, not just for her sake but for their son's…"

"Sam…" He gave me a surprised look. "I found out he was my half-brother earlier today while I was hanging out on the reservation. That's why I was late. I heard Emily call him Mr. Uley and I asked if he knew mom. That's how we found out."

Dad's face was guilt-ridden. "How'd he take it?"

"He was happy to find out that I'm his sister, but at the same time we figured that out, he realized that she's gone and never coming back. So, he's sad that she's gone but I think he was more upset that she was alive for seventeen years after she left and never tried to see him." I could only imagine how he must feel about mom just leaving him like that. Then again, considering all she put me through, maybe that was a better memory to have than the one I had of her.

His face darkened. "I see. Anyway, one night after that, she came to see me. She had a bag packed and was hysterical. She told me Josh had kicked her out. I told her I would take care of her and we'd work through things, but she said she just couldn't stay here anymore. Apparently, the woman Joshua had the affair with was your mom's best friend, Tiffany Call. She was ashamed and hurt and said she just couldn't take it anymore. So, she left without another word. A few months after she left, Tiffany had a baby boy, Embry, who I've always suspected was Joshua's son. After I found out about you, I originally thought your mom found out she was pregnant after leaving Washington. Thinking back on it though, I'm pretty sure now that she knew she was pregnant with you before she left. I think that maybe Josh found out she was pregnant with a child that wasn't his and that's why he kicked her out, as hypocritical as that was. She probably didn't want to tell me because I would want to be a part of your life and she just wanted a clean break from everyone here. I'm so sorry that our decisions have made your life as hard as it's been. If I could go back and change things, I would."

"So, Sam is my half-brother and Embry is Sam's half-brother?" _'Did I have another sibling that I hadn't know about? At this rate, I was going to have a new sibling a day.'_ "Do they know that they are brothers?"

"Well, Joshua never claimed him and his relationship with Tiffany hadn't lasted much longer after your mother left. In fact, I think their relationship ended before Embry was even born. No one ever talked about it, so, I don't think they know. Some suspect, I'm sure. The only one left alive that would know for sure would be Tiffany since Joshua passed away last year from cancer." After hearing the whole story, I realized my mother had been a very different woman before she had me.

Knowing now what Joshua had put her through had answered some of my questions that I'd had for a very long time. _'Why was my mother the way she was? Why did she do drugs? What was so horrible about her life that she would constantly try to escape it? Why did she hate me?'_ Now I knew. She probably hated me because I was the reason Joshua, the love of her life, kicked her out. All the things she had told me about me being the reason no man would ever want her again started to make sense.

It didn't make what she had done right, but it made me realize that there was a time that she wasn't all bad. That thought made me wonder how different my childhood would have been if she had been the woman my dad had fallen in love with. I wish I had known her as she had been. It left me with a sense of loss. I would never get to know her that way. For the first time since she had died, I found myself missing her.

After hearing how my dad talked about my mom and about everything that had happened, I decided that I would never tell him the truth. He would just feel guilty; not just about what happened to me, but about what happened to her. He never needed to know what my mother had turned into or what she had done to me. It wouldn't do any good. It would just change how he saw a woman he loved. There was no harm in letting him remember her the way she had been.

Sam had been through a lot, too. First his dad cheats on his mom with his mom's best friend which gained him a half-brother that he still didn't know was his half-brother. Then his mom cheats on his dad with my dad which gained him a half-sister that he just found out he had. Adding on to that, his mom just up and left him when he was only three years old. On top of all that, he lost his dad last year and just found out today that his mother died. I was definitely going to have to talk to him soon. _'Should I tell him the truth about her? Would it make it harder or easier for him, or would it matter at all?'_

Dad opened his mouth like he was about to say something else when the door opened. Bella walked in, turned, said goodnight to Edward, and closed the door. "Hey, Bells."

"Hey." She headed for the stairs. "I'm going to go to bed early tonight; I'm kind of tired."

"Alright, honey, goodnight." She went upstairs, which left dad and I alone again.

We sat in silence for a few minutes and then there was a knock on the door. Since it was almost nine, I assumed it was Billy coming up to watch the game.

Dad got up, but before heading to the door, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Looking up at him, I took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, I've just had a lot to process today. Go ahead and let him in."

He opened the door and I saw Jacob wheeling Billy in. They both had huge smiles on their faces. Billy looked at dad. "Charlie, you ready to watch the game?" Turning to me, he said, "Cat, good to see you."

Returning his smile, I said, "Good to see you, too."

Dad turned the television on and flipped through the channels until he got to the one the game was on. "I'm ready when you are."

Dad sat in his recliner and Jake parked Billy's chair off to the side. He came to sit next to me and put his arm across my shoulders. Dad and Billy exchanged a look of raised eyebrows, covert glances, and small smiles. Trying to avoid the awkwardness of that, I asked, "So who's playing tonight?"

Billy told me which teams were playing, which were minor teams as the NFL games didn't start until the fall, and asked, "You like to watch football?"

"Definitely. Can you believe what happened at last year's Super Bowl?" That was all it took for us to get into a long talk about which teams were better and who we were going to root for this coming season. I think they all thought it was hilarious that I actually like watching football. It made them all laugh when I started yelling at the TV when the referee had made a bad call. The four of us watched the game, talked and joked back and forth until the game was over.

Billy asked for Jake to take him home but not before he made plans to go fishing with dad first thing in the morning. Jake whispered in my ear that he would be out back in a few minutes and he left to take Billy home.

After they left, dad looked over at me. "So, you and Jake, huh?" He looked like he was trying to hold back a grin.

Pressing my lips together, I realized there was really only one thing I could say to that. "Yup."

The grin he had been trying to hold back manifested. "Well, good. He's a great kid." He gave me that one-armed hug that men do. "Well, I better get in bed if I'm going to get up in time to go fishing."

"Okay, night, dad." I hugged him back.

He headed for the stairs. "Goodnight, love you."

"Love you, too." I followed him upstairs and decided to get a quick shower while I waited on Jake to come back.

After my shower, I put on my fuzzy pajama pants, cami, and comfy sweatshirt. Pulling my hair into a loose side ponytail, I made my way downstairs and out the back door as quietly as I could. Just as I passed through the tree line, I saw Jacob in his wolf form, laying in that half-circle that most canines use to sleep. His head raised as I made my appearance.

Even though he was in wolf form, I could tell he was surprised to see me come out. "What, you were just going to sleep out here again?" I walked up to him and hugged him around his big wolf neck. The fact that I could hug his neck while I was standing and he was lying down told you just how big he was. "Come on. Phase back."

He looked at me for a second before heading behind the nearest tree. He walked out a few seconds later wearing nothing but shorts. Seeing him shirtless again, I felt my breath catch. Walking up to me, he wrapped his arms around my back and smiled. I blushed so hard it felt like my cheeks were on fire. Seeing his expression as he leaned his forehead against mine, I realized he knew exactly the effect he was having on me. "You need to get some sleep. You've had a long day."

I was extremely tired, but I didn't want him sleeping outside. Taking a closer look at his face, I realized he had circles under his eyes. I traced them lightly with my fingertips. He looked completely exhausted. "You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?" He didn't answer but the look he gave me was enough to know that he hadn't. "When was the last time you slept, Jacob?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just go back upstairs and get some rest. I sleep outside all the time." Since he evaded my question, I knew it must have been a long time. Putting his hand on the back of my head, he pulled me to him for a light kiss.

"If you think I'm going to let you sleep out here, you're out of your mind." Taking him by the arm, I tried to lead him to the house. The key word there being tried; it was like trying to move a mountain. I looked up at him when he wouldn't follow me.

"I don't want you to feel pressured about anything. You've been hit with a lot today. It's only your second day here. I'm fine out here, really." He had both his big hands around my upper arms.

"Jake… I know today has been exhausting for both of us. I don't feel pressured; all I know is I want you with me. You're not sleeping out here. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about what happened with dad earlier." I had run away when I was younger and was homeless for several months until the cops caught me stealing food. That was just before they put me in foster care. The thought of the person I love sleeping outside brought up bad memories for me.

He looked like he might have argued, then he saw my expression. I don't think he knew what it meant. I mean, how could he? He seemed to realize that it would hurt me if he stayed out here. He cupped my cheek in his hand and kissed me. "Okay, I'll come up. Go back up and open your window. I'll be there in a second."

I looked at him in confusion. "How are you going to get in the window? It's on the second floor."

He smiled like he knew something I didn't. "Super-strong werewolf, remember?"

Shaking my head with a smile, I hurried upstairs as quickly as I could while still being quiet. Opening the window, I looked down at Jake. It was a long way down. "Why don't I just let you in the door."

He rolled his eyes. "Just back up." A few seconds later, he had managed to snake his way in the window and was standing in front of me. To say the least, his expression was cocky. "Told you."

I quietly giggled. "Okay, that was sexy." I put my arms around his neck and he put his around my waist as he pulled me in for a kiss.

Smiling against my lips, he hoarsely whispered, "Not as sexy as a girl who loves watching football with me." He reluctantly pulled back. "Come on, you need to get some sleep." As if to prove his point, I started to yawn. I pulled him onto the bed with me so we were lying facing each other. "So what happened with your dad earlier?"

"Well, dinner was normal; just him asking questions about me. After we got back home, I asked him what happened between him and my mom. Apparently, mom and Sam's dad were separated around the time Renée left with Bella. Dad said Sam's dad cheated on mom with Tiffany Call… which means that Embry is probably Sam's half-brother…" I paused to gauge his reaction.

He didn't look completely surprised. "Well, since he phased for the first time, we had narrowed it down to Sam's dad, my dad, and Old Quil. It had to have been one of those three because they were the only men at the time that carried the wolf-gene. The hardest part was that all three of them were married at the time Embry had to have been conceived. It makes sense that it would've been Joshua. He was a total ass-hat."

"Yeah. I guess that makes Embry kind of like another brother for me. I just feel really bad for Sam. Everything today must've hit him pretty hard. He's had it tough. I mean, with his dad being as asshole and cheating on his mom which caused his mom to cheat on him and then both of them dying within a year of each other. Also, I'm pretty sure mom never reached out to Sam after she left. Should we tell them they're brothers? I think they deserve to know. I had planned on talking to Sam more about mom so maybe I should just tell him?" At this point, I wasn't sure telling the truth was better for anyone.

"Yeah, I think they need to know. It's bugged Embry for a long time that he didn't know who his dad was. He's known for a while that either Quil, me, or Sam were going to turn out to be his half-brother, so he's prepared for that." He reached out and brushed my bangs out of my face.

"You don't think he'll be upset that Joshua never tried to spend time with him or tell him the truth? How will he feel finding out that his father is dead?" Ever since I've gotten to Forks, I've felt like the bearer of bad news for everyone.

"Honey, he's known it was a strong possibility. He knew that no matter which one it was, none of them had reached out to him though they would've known that he was their son. Besides, it would be better for the truth to be out there. He'll probably be thrilled to have an official brother." I had no idea what he meant.

My eyebrows drew together in confusion. _'Official brother?'_ "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, as pack members, we often refer to each other as brothers. In a way, we are, or distant cousins at least. You see, each one of us is a direct descendant of Taha Aki. That's where the original wolf-gene came from. That's how we narrowed down the list of potential fathers for Embry. After he shifted, we knew he had to be the son of one of the direct descendants. Pretty much everyone on the res is related in some way, either through marriage or blood." I guess that made sense. The reservation wasn't very big but it seemed that most of the Quileute's married other Quileute's or at least people from neighboring tribes.

I think I had finally hit my threshold for new information today. "Okay, I think that's enough revelations for one day. I think my brain has hit a critical overload point. We should probably try and get some rest." I snuggled up closer to him and reveled in his warmth.

Wrapping his arms around me, he agreed. "Yeah, you've had a lot of big discoveries today. Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't run screaming yet." I giggled a little and he kissed the top of my head before resting his chin there. I don't think either of us lasted another five minutes before passing out.

Early the next morning, we both stirred when we heard my dad's alarm go off. We just laid there, not quite wanting to get up yet. Thank God he wasn't a morning person either. People just shouldn't be peppy before 10 a.m... A few minutes later, we heard dad walk downstairs and head out the door. Since the sun hadn't even come up yet and we hadn't gotten much sleep last night, we dozed back off for a while.

A few hours later, we were woken up again by the sounds of someone getting a shower. Bella must be up. Jacob sighed and looked at me. "I need to run outside and check in with the guys to see how the night patrol went." He kissed me and reluctantly got up. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay." I watched as he jumped out the window and ran towards the tree line. While he did that, I took the opportunity to brush my teeth and make myself presentable for the day. Of course, Jacob woke up looking just a gorgeous as when he went to bed. With my long hair, it was nearly impossible to wake up looking good. Looking at it in the mirror, I was surprised that Jacob hadn't laughed at me. It was truly a mess.

Walking back into my room, I picked out a cute, but practical, outfit and got dressed. As I was putting my hair up, I heard a soft knock at my door. Opening it, I saw Bella standing there awkwardly. "Hey, um, I know we didn't get to hang out yesterday, so I was thinking maybe we could do something later this afternoon. Maybe we could go see a movie or something?"

"Uh, sure. I'm probably going to head down to the reservation for a while but I'll let you know when I'm finished there. Would you like to come, or do you have other plans?" Considering how moody she had been yesterday, I was surprised she even wanted to hang out.

She seemed to think about it for a minute. "Well I have plans with Edward for this morning, so, I guess just call me when you're finished there."

I forced a small smile. "Okay, cool. I'll let you know." She turned and started walking back to her room. I closed my door and sat on my bed. It seemed like the more time I spent around her, the more she confused me. A few minutes later, I heard her head downstairs and walk out the front door.

I was still staring at my door wondering what that had been all about when I heard a loud thud behind me. I did that loud, embarrassing squeak-scream that every girl seemed to have. My heart was racing as I turned to see Jacob. His chest was shaking in silent laughter. "Jacob Black! You almost gave me a heart attack! Don't scare me like that. Make some noise or call out or something to warn me." I slapped his hard, naked chest.

Now he started laughing out loud. "I'm sorry. I didn't even think about it, honest."

Even though he had pretty much scared me senseless, I thought it was pretty funny, too; not that I would tell him that. Turning a little more serious, I asked, "So, are Sam and Embry on patrol this morning?" I really needed to find time to talk with them both today.

"They both patrolled last night, which was uneventful. They already picked up what you told me from my mind. We agreed to meet at Sam's in few minutes. Emily's making breakfast for everyone and you can talk to them there." Well, at least the redheaded vampire hadn't come back yet.

"I can't tell if that's really convenient or kind of annoying." I reached for my purse and started looking for where I had set my keys.

"Trust me, it's both. I'll be out back." He hopped out the window before I could say anything.

Quickly, I shut and locked my window, ran downstairs, locked all the doors and headed out the back. As I walked up to him, I asked, "Don't we need to go out front to get in my truck?"

He gave me a smile that was part devilish, part playful before he disappeared behind a tree. Walking out in his wolf-form, he seemed to have a big grin on his face. He approached me, then turned, and lowered the front half of his huge body. My eyes widened as realization struck me. "You want me to _ride_ you?" He moved his head up and down and stuck his tongue out. Even though he was obviously a wolf, he acted more like an over-grown puppy. It was kind of cute.

I walked up beside him but hesitated before getting on his back. "Are you sure?" He rolled his eyes and nodded again. It was funny to see an irritated expression on a wolf. As I started to move on his back, he used his head to help lift me up the rest of the way.

He stood up and started trotting into the trees. I've ridden horses before, but this was a different experience all-together. I didn't know where to hold on; it's not like he was wearing reins. I settled for lightly grasping his fur in between his shoulder blades. As he increased his speed, I realized I was going to have to hold on much tighter or I was going to fall off.

As he easily maneuvered through the trees, I decided that this was now my favorite thing to do. It was so freeing and magical that I was disappointed when he slowed behind Sam and Emily's house. Jacob lowered himself again so I could slide off. He phased and walked up to me. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Walking inside, I saw most, if not all of the wolves gathered in the living room. From my vantage point, I could see Emily cooking in the kitchen. As he had done yesterday, Jake sat down and pulled me on to his lap.

Everyone looked at us as we came in but the one who spoke up was Embry. "So how's my little sis this morning?" He was grinning from ear to ear.

The way he said it made me laugh. "I'm good. So, I guess you all know now?" Everyone nodded and I looked over at Sam.

He looked genuinely happy, but I could tell he was still upset about his parents. With a small smile, he said, "In less a day I've found out I not only have a sister, but a brother as well. It's a good day."

Emily walked in carrying a tray of muffins. "Dig in everyone. Like I need to tell you."

We all grabbed muffins and ate while we talked for a while. Despite the pain Embry and Sam must have been going through, they were both happy to find out they had a sister and a brother. After about an hour, Sam asked if he and I could take a walk. Getting up, I gave Jake a peck on the lips and we walked out back.

We walked a little while until we were far enough not to be overheard. He seemed unsure of how to start, so I did. "I know you must have questions about mom…"

He took a deep breath. "Honestly, I don't really know what to ask. She obviously didn't even tell you about me so, yeah. Am I upset she's gone? Yeah. Am I upset she never reached out to me over the years? Yeah." He paused for a minute and sighed. "I'm not mad at you, but I think I'm mad at her for just leaving and starting over. I know now why she left, but I was still her son. At least you got to spend time with her. How was she? How did she die?"

It was my turn to pause. I still didn't know how much to tell him, but seeing the pain on his face, I knew he deserved the truth. "I'm going to be honest with you. After hearing how dad talked about her last night, I know she was a very different person before she left. As you know, she didn't tell me about dad, you, or anyone else and she sure as hell didn't tell anyone about me. She didn't even talk about the tribe or the legends or anything. She had me convinced for the longest time that we were Hispanic…"

I wanted to sugar-coat the rest, but there was honestly no way to. So, I just told him like it was. "What happened to her here before she left changed her. The woman I knew wasn't the same one you and my dad knew. She was hurt and angry all time. It seemed like she hated me most days. Others, she just ignored me. As far back as I can remember, she abused drugs and alcohol. Early enough in the day, she would just be in a stupor; into the evening she got worse. She would start drinking as soon as she woke up and in the evenings, she would invite men over and smoke crack with them, and do other things…"

I looked down at me feet as I tried to get the courage up to tell him the rest. As if it wasn't bad enough that I had to tell him that his mom became a crack-whore, now I had to tell him that she was both abused and abusive. "She would hit me regularly, just fly into rages. She would blame me for men not wanting her, I guess that had something to do with your dad kicking her out when he found out she was pregnant with me. The men that came over would abuse her and occasionally hit me, too, so I learned to stay in my room and be quiet at night. I begged her to stop, to get help. When I was fifteen, it was like any other night. She had a man over, they smoked, got drunk, he beat her and they had sex. I tried to stay hidden, but I had gotten hungry and tried to get a sandwich and go back to my room real fast, but he saw me. Mom had already passed out, and he was drunk and high. He tried to pin me down, but I fought him and knocked him out with a frying pan. I knew I couldn't stay there anymore, so I packed a bag and ran away. I was homeless until I got caught stealing food. The cops talked to me and tried to find my family. That was the night they told me she was dead. Apparently, her cause of death was a combination of a drug overdose and being beaten up by the man she'd had over at the time. They had already arrested him and put him in jail. After that, they placed me in a foster home while they searched for any other family that could take me in. I haven't told anyone else about all this, but you deserve to know the truth. I know you'll tell Emily, but I'd appreciate if you wouldn't tell anyone else. My childhood may have sucked, but I don't want everyone to feel bad for me. It happened, it's over, and I'm happy now. I don't want to live in the past."

I took a minute before looking back up at his face. He looked horrified. "Charlie doesn't know about this?"

I shook my head. "No, I asked the social worker not to tell him because I wanted a clean start. I've decided not to tell him, though. He loved her, Sam. There would be no reason to tell him about what happened to her or what she did to me. He would just feel guilty when he didn't do anything wrong."

He pulled me into a strong embrace and just held me for a minute. "I'm so sorry… I didn't know…" It was then I felt the tears.

I held him back. "Sam, it isn't your fault, either. It happened, it sucked, and it's over. There's nothing anyone can do to change it. All we can do is move forward from here and try to be happy. I am happy now. I have a family who loves me, friends, and a good home. You've got Emily, me, Embry and the rest of your brothers. I'm sorry she left you, but you wouldn't have wanted to see her like that. Just try to remember her the way she was."

His tears slowed and he finally released me from the hug. "Was that what your nightmare was about the other night? Jared heard you crying when Jake went to get changed the other morning." I gave a little nod. "I wish you could have known her the way I did."

"Me, too, but I won't ever get to, so I'm not going to dwell on it. I'm just glad I found the rest of my family." I just needed to leave my past behind me. Maybe this would give me the closure I needed.

He stopped crying and recomposed himself. "I'm here for you, if you need anything, anytime. We're family now, and I'll be here to protect you. You can come here anytime for as long as you like. My home is yours now, too. You're safe now." I nodded and thanked him. "So, you haven't told Charlie, but have you told Jacob any of this?"

"No, I mean, I didn't really know how to start, or if I should. The only reason I told you is because she was your mom, too, and you deserve to know what happened to her. I wanted everyone to get to know me without knowing about my past." I wasn't sure how Jacob would react but I forced him to tell me everything, I should probably do the same. I meant it when I told him I didn't want secrets between us.

He put his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye. "You need to, maybe not now, but soon. He is going to be there for you, for whatever you need, and vice-versa. That's how the imprint works. I'm glad that you have each other. The imprint is a very special bond."

He was right, I did need to tell him. "Yeah, I'll tell him, just not right this second. I mean, I know we're imprints, but we're still new, you know?"

"Yes, I know. You've had a lot thrown at you in the past couple days. It's going to take some time to adjust. Just know that we are all here for you. You, Embry and I are tied by blood but the whole tribe is family. If you need anything, you just ask any one of us." My original assessment about Sam had turned out to be right. He was a protector and very much the older brother, not just to me, but to the rest of the pack. I guess that's why he was the leader.

"I know. Jake told me that we are all technically related, at least distantly." It seemed like my family got bigger by the day.

"And I don't want you to worry about Victoria. We won't ever leave you without someone to watch you. I've taken Jacob off patrols until further notice so he can keep an eye on you when you aren't on the reservation. Technically, the Cullens protect the Forks side of the treaty line, so We don't normally patrol there. If he isn't with you, one of the other pack members will be. Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise." He was as serious as I'd seen him.

"I know. I worry about you guys, though. It's dangerous what you do." I don't know what I would do if one of them got hurt trying to protect me.

"Don't worry, it's what we are made to do." He put his arm around my shoulders. "I love you, we love you. We won't let anything happen to you. Now, let's get back before Jake comes hunting for you. Imprints don't like being separated for long."

On the way back to the house, he made me smile again. By the time we got there, we looked almost back to normal. Jake looked like he was about to jump out of his skin. Seeing me come in, he looked relieved and scooped me into his arms as soon as I came through the door. He kissed me and said, "Finally, I was about to come looking for you."

Sam laughed. "I told you he would come out if we didn't get back soon."

It made me smile that he couldn't wait for me to come back. "I missed you, too." I leaned over and pecked him on the nose.

"Alright, so what do you want to do today? We can go swimming or watch a movie…" His stomach growled and I laughed. "…or get some lunch…"

Still laughing, I said, "Alright, if you get us back to my house, I'll make you something to eat. After that, though, I told Bella we'd go see a movie this afternoon."

His eyebrows raised at that. "You're going to watch a movie with Bella?"

I nodded. "Yeah, she asked me this morning if we could do something together. Will you be able to keep an eye on me in there?"

"It might be better to watch something at the house. I'll wait outside until you guys are finished. Just tell her you don't feel like going out or something." I knew he wanted to watch over me but I felt bad that he was going to have to wait outside.

We said goodbye to everyone and I pulled him out back. "I don't want you to have to wait outside…"

He leaned down to kiss me. "Honey, really, don't worry about it. It'll give me a chance to get an update on the patrols. Technically I'm the Beta of the pack and it helps me protect you better when I know what's going on."

I still didn't like it but I said, "If you're sure…"

"I'm sure. Now, hop on and I'll get you home." He phased and we rode back to my house. It was just us and I made us sub sandwiches and pasta salad.

He apparently liked it because he ate three subs by himself and more than half the bowl of pasta salad. "That was really good. I really got lucky. I got a woman who's beautiful, funny, smart, loves football, and on top of all that, can cook amazing food."

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Mr. Black." I got up to clear the dishes when he pulled me into his lap and kissed me.

We were pretty much making out at the table when Bella walked in.

"Oh, hey, I didn't know you were going to be finished alre…" I stopped when I saw the look on her face. It was a mixture of shock and anger. I didn't get it, why would she be mad that I was with Jake? Before I could say anything else, she stomped out and drove off before I could catch up with her.

I stood there in shock and confusion for a minute before looking back at Jake. He was wearing a similar expression. I said, "I guess the movie is off… What was that all about? Why was she so mad?" He just shrugged. I guess we were both confused…

 _ **To be continued… I know, kind of a cliffhanger, but I will try to have another chapter out soon! Please take time to leave a review! I love hearing from you guys!**_


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